Nigerian striker Odion Ighalo, who recently moved to the China to sign for Changchun Yatai, has admitted that his priority was to remain in England with his family.
The 27-year-old revealed in an interview with The Sun that the demands from his former club Watford made it difficult for fellow English Premiership sides West Brom and Crystal Palace to sign him.
Ighalo said: “When the options came, my priority was to stay in England.
“West Brom came but what Watford wanted made it impossible to go there. Crystal Palace, too, showed strong interest but Watford’s demands put them off as well. It was only China that could give them what they wanted.
“On a personal level, it is good money for me but if I had my way I would love to stay in the Premier League.
“I have my family here, the kids are in school here, they have their friends here and getting that stability is never easy when you keep moving your family. But what can we do? Life goes on.”
The former Julius Berger player signed for Chinese Super League club Changchun Yatai in a £20m deal last month.
Igahlo is reported to have agreed a £190,000-a-week deal at Changchun and he admits the money is good for him “on a personal level”.