Gunners eye £20m summer move for Watford’s Odion Ighalo

Arsenal are lining up a £20m summer offer to sign Odion Ighalo from Watford, according to the ​Mirror.

The club have identified the striking department as one they need to strengthen in the close season, despite the fact they have the likes of Danny Welbeck, Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott on the books at the moment.

Arsenal have been linked with a host of names over the course of the season, but Ighalo’s stunning form for the Hornets has meant he’s entered the radar too. The Nigerian has scored 15 goals in 26 Premier League appearances so far – and has added another in the FA Cup – to sit among the list of top scorers in England’s top tier.

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Chelsea and Atletico Madrid have both looked at Ighalo too and are considering offers of their own, but the Gunners could move in with a bid of £20m. It’s reported that such a fee will convince Watford to sell, and they’ve lined up Granada striker Isaac Success as a potential replacement for Ighalo.

However, while Arsenal are among the front-runners to sign him at the moment, Ighalo himself delivered something of a blow to their hopes last month as he admitted he’d find it hard to turn down Manchester United.

He said: “There has been speculation from Spain and Italy but I’ve played there and now want to play in England.

“I don’t think I will be moving but I’m not sure I’d say no if United called. They were my team growing up. I loved watching Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke on TV. They were my idols and playing at Old Trafford has always been a dream.”

United themselves have been linked with a number of center forwards – including the likes of Romelu Lukaku and Harry Kane – but both teams could clash over Ighalo’s signature at the end of the season. They face each other as the Premier League returns on Sunday.