Odion Ighalo played a significant role in Manchester United’s unsuccessful attempt to secure Victor Osimhen from Ligue 1 side Lille during the 2020 summer transfer window.
Manchester United are aiming to rebuild their attacking line this summer after a disappointing 2024/25 season that ended with a 15th-place finish in the Premier League, with their lack of goals proving a major weakness.
Bruno Fernandes led the scoring with 19 goals, while Alejandro Garnacho and Amad followed with 11 apiece. Rasmus Højlund added 10, but no other player reached double figures across all competitions.
The club have already secured the £62.5 million signing of Matheus Cunha and are confident about completing a deal for Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo, although Tottenham are attempting to hijack the move for the Cameroon international.
United are also in the market for a new centre-forward. Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyökeres was initially a key target, but with the striker now favouring a transfer to Arsenal, the club have been forced to explore alternative options.
United failed to sign Osimhen in 2020
United have failed to secure a striker who has led the line for more than one season since Sir Alex Ferguson left the club in 2013, with big names such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Radamel Falcao, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic either failing to secure a starting spot or departing within two years of joining.
In 2020, United attempted to address this issue by acquiring Victor Osimhen, then a striker with Lille, who had just finished an 18-goal season with the Ligue 1 side and was touted as one of the hottest striker prospects in Europe.
According to Osimhen’s brother, Andrew, the most significant reason why United failed to land the Nigerian international is that Osimhen himself had too much respect for then-United striker and cult hero Odion Ighalo,
“It is very true that Manchester United wanted Victor [in 2020], but he told me something like he had too much respect for Odion Ighalo to be competing for shirts with his senior colleague,” Andrew explained.
“My brother holds Ighalo in high esteem, and he just didn’t see himself going to Old Trafford to battle for a striking role with the highest goalscorer at the 2019 AFCON in Egypt.”
Osimhen went on to sign for Napoli in a deal worth around £70 million, winning the Serie A title in the 2022/23 season and securing another league title on loan with Galatasaray last campaign.
United likely to miss out on Osimhen again this summer
Osimhen is back on the market this summer after falling out with Napoli’s president and spending the season on loan in Turkey, but it appears likely that United will miss out on signing the 26-year-old.
Although Osimhen is almost a perfect fit for Amorim’s striker requirements this summer, with the club needing an experienced goalscorer who is fast, strong, and can create his own chances, he will likely be too expensive.
He has a £63 million release clause in his contract, which is not out of the realm of United’s budget, but his wage demands are too much.
The striker is reportedly seeking a net salary of around £10 million per season, which translates to approximately £350,000-400,000 per week after UK tax and national insurance are factored in.
Reports have stated that United would be willing to negotiate if the striker lowered his demands, but this appears unlikely.
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