Odion Ighalo's Manchester United loan set to end and Arsenal eye Coutinho

Manchester United are facing the prospect of losing Odion Ighalo this week with talks to extend the striker's loan from Shanghai Shenhua at an impasse.

Ighalo's temporary deal at Old Trafford is set to end on May 31 and although United have expressed a desire to keep the 30-year-old for longer, Shanghai have so far resisted all approaches.

Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been impressed with the Nigeria international, who has scored four goals in eight appearances, but is said to be "relaxed" about the situation because Marcus Rashford is almost fully recovered from injury.

Ighalo was brought in during the January transfer window as emergency cover for Rashford, who last played a game on Jan. 15 because of a back problem, and the deal did not include an option to buy.

The former Watford man wants to stay at United, his boyhood club, but Shanghai appear set on having him back for the start of the Chinese Super League campaign in June.

The original agreement with Shanghai would have covered the end of the season but with the campaign postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic, Ighalo is set to miss United's remaining nine Premier League games and the culmination of the FA Cup and the Europa League.

Arsenal are reportedly stepping up their efforts to try and sign Barcelona flop Philippe Coutinho, Le10 Sport reports.

The Brazilian failed to set the world alight at Camp Nou following his €160m move from Liverpool in 2018, and Bayern Munich confirmed a few days ago they have let the €120m option to turn his loan deal into a permanent move lapse.

Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge told Der Spiegel on Friday: 

The option expired and we haven't activated it. We're going to plan our squad for next season and we'll see if he still has a role to play with us or not.

Now, the belief is that a return to the Premier League could be a tenable possibility. Gunners boss Mikel Arteta dreams of linking up with Coutinho, according to Le10 Sport, with the club aiming to speak with his agent and sneak ahead of Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool in the race to sign the attacking midfielder.