HONG KONG, March 25 (Reuters) - Nigerian striker Obafemi
Martins is on the verge of a return to Shanghai Shenhua, Chinese
media have reported, increasing the likelihood Odion Ighalo will
make his stay at Manchester United a permanent one this summer.
Ighalo has made an impressive start to life at United,
scoring four times in eight games since signing on loan until
May 31 from the Chinese Super League club.
Martins, who was previously contracted to Shenhua from 2016
until the end of the 2018 season, was reported by Titan Sports
to have arrived in China on Tuesday and was being lined up to
replace Ighalo ahead of the Chinese Super League season.
China's domestic league has yet to start the 2020 season
after kick off was delayed indefinitely due to the coronavirus
outbreak but speculation is mounting that the campaign will
begin in late April or early May.
England's Premier League has been suspended due to the
pandemic and will not resume before April 30.