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Man Utd agree personal terms with Odion Ighalo and ‘increasingly confident’ of sealing loan deal


The former Watford striker could be on his way back to the Premier League (Picture: Getty)

Manchester United are growing increasingly confident that they will be able to wrap up a loan deal for Shanghai Shenhua striker Odion Ighalo and have reportedly already agreed terms with the player.

Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has made no secret of his desire to sign a new striker to provide cover in the absence of the injured Marcus Rashford, though he hinted that United might have to do without a forward at his Friday press conference.

But now widespread reports are claiming that a deal for Ighalo is close to being completed, with the BBC saying United officials are ‘increasingly confident’ they will get it over the line.

Ighalo scored 33 goals in 82 Premier League appearances for Watford (Picture: Getty)

United had also been chasing Bournemouth’s Joshua King, though a deal proved very difficult to do in such a short space of time, but there is a growing feeling that Ighalo could happen in the next few hours.

The 30-year-old forward is currently playing in China and United will likely need to submit a deal sheet which would allow them to rubberstamp the deal after tonight’s 11pm deadline.

Ighalo could then fly into Manchester to complete a medical and sign a contract on Saturday, having already missed the deadline to be registered in time to face Wolves.

According to Sky Sport Italia, United have already agreed personal terms and a salary with Ighalo and now need to finalise terms on their loan arrangement with Shanghai Shenhua – which will include an option to buy, rather than an obligation.

After the Wolves match, United then have 16 days off thanks to the Premier League’s new winter break, which would give Ighalo plenty of time to settle in at the club.

The Nigerian forward left Watford for the Chinese Super League in 2017, first playing for Changchun Yatai and then joining Shanghai Shenhua where he has scored 10 goals in 17 league appearances.

Ighalo won the CFA Cup with Shanghai Shenhua back in December (Picture: Getty)

Speaking about the type of striker he wanted United to sign, Solskjaer explained: ‘We need more goalscorers, we need more goals, that’s a definite. We need someone who will break their nose to score a goal, or their toe.

‘It doesn’t have to be the nice ones. We know that. We’re challenging them, I need to challenge them more, because we can’t just score nice goals.’

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