LALIGA club rejects Super Eagles star, prefer deal that could help Man United offload Antony

Despite his heroic goalscoring performances for Valencia in the second half of last season, Super Eagles striker Umar Sadiq is struggling to find a club. He was unwanted by Real Sociedad and was offered to Celta Vigo; however, the Galician side rejected him. 

Sadiq has returned to Anoeta after his loan spell at Valencia and is already being linked with a move away from the club, as he was deemed surplus to requirements. 

According to El Gol Digital, La Reale have begun offering him to clubs, one of which was Celta Vigo. However, the Abanca Balaídos residents rejected him, as they have another striker in mind. 

The striker in question is Borja Iglesias, who spent last season on loan at the club, scoring 11 goals. However, they are struggling to reach an agreement with Betis, holding out for a fee around €8 million. 

The Heliopolitans are already covered in the centre-forward position and can reinvest the proceeds from Iglesias’s sale into strengthening other positions on the pitch, like the right wing. Antony is their preferred target, but Samuel Chukwueze is also on the list. The sale of Iglesias could provide the necessary cash injection to complete those deals. 

The lanky striker finished 29th in Pulse Sports' 30 list for the season. Largely unused in the first half of the season by Imanol Alguacil, Umar Sadiq secured a loan move to a struggling Valencia—in the thick of a relegation battle—in January.

Sadiq went on to score six goals for Los Che in the second half of the season, and five of those goals earned the Valencian team six points. 

Those points were crucial to Valencia avoiding their first drop in 39 years, as they finished the season on 46 points, exactly six points more than relegated Leganes.