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On-loan striker Odion Ighalo has reportedly made a request to his parent club to allow him to complete the season with Manchester United.
Ighalo moved to United from Shanghai Shenhua on deadline day in January but, as things stand, he is set to return to China on Monday when his temporary deal ends.
The Red Devils initially agreed on the deal as a stopgap to Marcus Rashford's injury but, with the protracted Premier League season set to go into July, boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer confirmed the club were looking into an extension.
The biggest hurdle in talks between the two clubs, according to reports, is Shanghai Shenhua's demand that Ighalo return to China for the start of the Chinese Super League season, pencilled in for the end of June at the earliest.
According to the Manchester Evening News, Ighalo has now taken his future into his own hands by issuing a personal plea to his Chinese employers to allow him to extend his Old Trafford stay.
Ighalo's agent has also commented on his client's situation, confirming that United and Shanghai Shenhua are back in discussions.
"On the one hand, the Super Eagle (Ighalo) feels very good in Manchester," Ladi Salami told FootMercato.
"Negotiations with the Chinese are ongoing and are going well.
"On the other hand, in view of the latest regulations in force in (China), it is almost impossible to offer such amounts."
Ighalo had impressed in his eight games for United before football's hiatus, scoring four goals in three starts to help the club progress in the FA Cup and Europa League.
- TEAMtalk media
