By Duro Ikhazuagbe
After helping the Super Eagles achieve a prized one-all draw against Corsica, last Friday in an international friendly, Kelechi Iheanacho flew into Manchester on Saturday to sort out his future even as West Ham is believed to have made a bid of £24million for the Nigerian international.
Iheanacho scored from the penalty spot after Jean-Jacques Mandrichi had given Corsica a French region the lead also from the spot.
That face-saving goal from the boots of the 2013 FIFA Under-17 World Cup winner, ensured that the Nigerian senior national team remains unbeaten in all the eight games played under Gernot Rohr’s watch.
According to weekend reports from England, Iheanacho also has interests from Leicester, Everton, Southampton and West Bromwich Albion plus clubs in the Bundesliga.
Manchester City is believed to want to insert a buy-back option into any transfer deal reached on the 20-year-old forward.Â
It is not yet certain how long Iheanacho is going to remain in Manchester over the transfer talks as handlers of the Super Eagles are expecting him back in camp before Nigeria’s next friendly against Togo in the French capital on June 10. The team is expected to return home to play South Africa in a 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Uyo later in June.
After a season where many expected Iheanacho to kick on after an impressive breakthrough under ex-manager Manuel Pellegrini the striker has found playing time hard to come by.
After a season where many expected Iheanacho to kick on after an impressive breakthrough under ex-manager Manuel Pellegrini the striker has found playing time hard to come by.
Pep Guardiola entrusted Iheanacho with just five league starts with the youngster finding himself behind Sergio Aguero and mid-season arrival Gabriel Jesus in the pecking order.
Despite that limited opportunity Iheanacho still managed seven goals and three assists, with those strikes coming at an average rate of one every 128 minutes.Â
With value for money goalscorers a commodity always cherished by Premier League clubs it is hardly a surprise such a promising forward is in such high demand.
Despite all the talk of a possible transfer, Iheanacho recently dismissed his impending Etihad exit, insisting: “I’m not very aware of that. I just keep working with the team and I’m still at Manchester City so I’ll meet up with the boys and kick off the season with Manchester City.
“I’m happy to stay at Manchester City and keep fighting to help them achieve what they want to achieve. Manchester City is a big team and we need to go far as a squad, so we need everybody,†concludes the Nigerian international.
