Manchester United Transfer News: Latest Rumours on Odion Ighalo and Paul Pogba

Manchester United reportedly saw a £35 million bid for Watford striker Odion Ighalo rejected in January when former manager Louis van Gaal was still at the club's helm. Elsewhere, incumbent Jose Mourinho is said to be planning an exodus in order to land Paul Pogba.

A report from the Sunday Times revealed the Red Devils made a big-money move to bring Ighalo to Old Trafford during the winter transfer window, but the Hornets rebuffed their advances (h/t Goal's Chris Davie).

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The Nigeria international enjoyed a whirlwind first six months in the Premier League and netted 13 of his 15 top-flight goals last season before New Year's Day.

According to the Sunday Times, Van Gaal was impressed enough to launch a move for the player, and the Guardian's Fabrizio Romano claimed Ighalo accepted a €46 million (£39 million) offer from Shanghai SIPG:

United have since appointed Mourinho as their chief and gone about solving their striker crisis with the acquisition of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, not to mention promoting breakthrough star Marcus Rashford.

The alleged £35 million fee offered by United may seem like a gargantuan figure for a player who was playing in the Championship just over 12 months ago, but ESPN FC's Alex Shaw put that amount into context:

Mourinho's men clearly have funds available after making swift moves to improve their options this summer, and the Sun's Mike McGrath reported "up to eight players" may now be sold in order to bring Pogba back to the club.

According to McGrath, a source close to the club said, “Jose has made it clear he wants to work with 22 key players. It means up to eight players heading out.”

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Memphis Depay, Daley Blind, Adnan Januzaj, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Juan Mata are all said to be among those at risk of getting the chop this summer following the arrivals of some big names.

Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News pinpointed the likes of versatile players such as Marcos Rojo and Phil Jones—who have struggled to tie down places in the starting XI—as some who should be sold:

Alongside Ibrahimovic, Eric Bailly and Henrikh Mkhitaryan have also been added to United's ranks at centre-back and attacking midfield, respectively, with Pogba seemingly seen as the missing piece of the puzzle.

Mourinho is likely to be unforgiving in his first summer as United chief, and although new arrivals have made for a happy atmosphere at Old Trafford, a slew of departures could see the mood turn all too quickly.