Four Premiership clubs eye Odion Ighalo who could return to England in January transfer window

SUPER Eagles striker Odion Ighalo could be on his way back to the English Premiership soon amid indications that four clubs are interested in signing up the former Watford attacker during the January transfer window.

Ighalo, 28, had a great time at Watford and was part of the Hornets team that earned promotion to the Premier League in 2015. He formed a fruitful partnership in the top flight with fellow forward Troy Deeney, the club's captain, scoring 15 times in his first season, making him one of the hottest strikers in England.

However, Ighalo moved to Chinese side Changchun Yatai last season, where he has had an okay season, scoring 15 goals in 26 appearances. China's season has just ended and Ighalo has returned to the UK where he is holidaying but while here, several Premiership clubs have indicated an interest in securing his services.

Stoke City and Everton are thought to be leading the way, with Southampton and West Ham United also taking notice. Everton, who lost Romelu Lukaku to Manchester United in the summer, attempted to sign Olivier Giroud from Arsenal to improve their goalscoring potential but the Toffees have since relied on the services of Senegalese forward Oumar Niasse and may be looking to strengthen their forward line.

However, Stoke City manager Mark Hughes has dismissed reports linking him with a move for Ighalo, pouring cold water on the possibility of that particular transaction. Although he did not categorically rule it out, he pointed out that there is no truth to the rumour that he has begun making enquiries about the striker.

Mr Hughes said: "We get linked with lots of names but I'm not sure that's one that's got much traction, to be perfectly honest. We are constantly compiling potential targets and there's nothing definite as yet."