Watford reject staggering £38m bid for Odion Ighalo as they splash out on new striker

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Watford have turned down a £38m offer for striker Odion Ighalo with big-spending Shanghai SIPG looking to continue their summer splurge.

The Chinese club have already spent £46.1m on former Zenit striker Hulk, but they have seen their mega-offer for Ighalo knocked back with the Hornets seemingly not interested in losing their star forward.

Ighalo scored 17 goals in 42 appearances in all competitions last season, and despite speculation linking him with a move away from Vicarage Road, the Premier League outfit have made their intentions clear by rejecting the offer, as reported by The Guardian.

Shanghai evidently have ambitious plans in place with former Lazio and England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson currently at the helm, and it continues the big spending sprees that the clubs from China have been on in recent months.

Nevertheless, it appears as though their deep pockets may not be enough to prise certain star individuals away from Europe, with Watford looking to hold on to Ighalo despite the remarkable fee involved.

It’s been a summer of change for the club with Walter Mazzarri being appointed as Quique Sanchez Flores’ successor, but owner Giampaolo Pozzo is clearly keen on keeping the squad together to give the Italian tactician the best chance possible to build on their success last year.

Meanwhile, it looks as though they are more focused on strengthening where possible, with Sky Sports reporting that they’ve completed the signing of Granada striker Isaac Success for a club record fee in the region of £12.5m.

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