Barcelona signed Kevin-Prince Boateng on loan after Nigerian forward Odion Ighalo rejected move

Spanish giants Barcelona signed Ghanaian forward Kevin Prince Boateng after Nigerian forward Odion Ighalo rejected a loan move from the Catalans.

According to Ighalo, the prospect of being a second striker with the La Liga champions was not a good idea after he scored 21 goals last season in the Chinese super Lig.

"My agent spoke to me about a loan interest from Barcelona. The club wanted a striker with La Liga experience and someone who understands Spanish football," Ighalo told BBC Sport.

"It was meant to be a six-month loan and strictly as a back-up striker. It was nice to hear that Barcelona were interested and any footballer would be more than happy to take it.

"But with due respect I had just finished as the second top scorer in China with 21 goals, I deserve better and didn't want to be a short-term player somewhere.

"We rejected it, it was an easy decision to make and I chose to stay in China by joining Shanghai Shenhua on a longer contract," Ighalo added.