Former Watford striker Odion Ighalo has revealed he turned down the opportunity to join Barcelona on a short-term loan deal in January, in favour of extending his contract at Shanghai Shenhua.
The Nigeria international finished as the Chinese Super League's second top scorer in 2018 with 21 efforts, and despite attracting interest from the Catalan giants Ighalo claimed it was an 'easy decision' to reject their advances.
He told BBC Sport: "My agent spoke to me about a loan interest from Barcelona. The club wanted a striker with La Liga experience and someone who understands Spanish football.