Odion Ighalo Striker now Nigeria’s most expensive player

Super Eagles striker Odion Ighalo is now the most expensive Nigerian player following his €23.3m million from Watford to Chinese Super League side Changchun Yatai.

Ighalo sealed a move to the Chinese club where he will earn close to £200,000 per week.

playOdion Ighalo (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

Changchun Yatai paid €23.3m million to Watford for the 27-year-old striker making him the most expensive Nigerian player ever.

He now beats John Mikel Obi who moved to Chelsea in a 2006 €20m from Norwegian side Lyn Oslo.

playJohn Mikel Obi (Getty Images)

Mikel’s transfer fee was for eleven years the most expensive fee paid for a Nigerian player.

Ighalo now leads the list with Mikel second.

Ahmed Musa who cost Leicester City €19.5m is the third most expensive Nigerian player while another Leicester City player,Wilfred Ndidi is fourth for €17.6m he cost the club in the January transfer window.

playAhmed Musa (REUTERS)

playWilfred Ndidi (Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images)

ALSO READ: Ndidi signs for Leicester City

Making up the fifth position is Yakubu Aiyegbeni who Evertonpaid  €16.5m for to Middlesbourgh in 2007.

playYakubu Aiyegbeni for Everton (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

Obafemi Martins cost Newcastle United €16m when they signed him from Inter Milan in 2006 and comes in sixth place while Isaac Success is in seventh place for the €15m Watford paid for him from Granada in 2016.

playObafemi Martins for Everton (AMA/Corbis via Getty Images)

playIsaac Success ( Getty Images)

Emmanuel Emenike is in eighth for the €13m Fenerbahce paid for him from Spartak Moscow in 2013 while in 2014 West Brompaid €12.63m to Dynamo Kyiv for striker Brown Ideye making him the ninth most expensive Nigerian player.

playEmmanuel Emenike (Twitter/Fenerbahce)

playBrown Ideye in action for West Brom (AP)

Austin Okocha rounds up the top 10 with the €12.4m Paris Saint-Germain paid for him from Fenerbahçe in 1998.

playAustin Okocha playing for Paris Saint-Germain (Stu Forster/ALLSPORT)

List of most expensive Nigerian players

1.Odion Ighalo – Watford to Changchun Yatai- €23.3m

2.Obi Mikel – Lyn Oslo to Chelsea – €20m

3.Ahmed Musa – CSKA to Leicester – €19.5m

4.Wilfred Ndidi – Genk to Leicester – €17.6m

5.Yakubu Aiyegbeni – Middlesbrough to Everton – €16.5m

6.Obafemi Martins – Inter to Newcastle – €16m

7.Isaac Success – Granada to Watford – €15m

8.Emmanuel Emenike – Spartak to Fenerbahce – €13m

9.Brown Ideye – Dynamo Kiev to WBA – €12.63m

10.Austin Okocha – Fenerbahce to PSG – €12.4

11.Taribo West – Auxerre to Inter – €12m

12.Victor Moses – Wigan to Chelsea – €11.5m

13.Anthony Ujah – Werder to Liaoning FC – €11.5m

14.Obafemi Martins – Newcastle to Wolfsburg – €10.5m

15.Sunday Oliseh – Ajax to Juventus – €10m

.John Utaka – Rennes to Portsmouth – €10m

.Peter Odemwingie- Lille to Lok Moscow – €10m

.Finidi George – Ajax to Real Betis – €10m

.Emmanuel Emenike – Fenerbahce to Spartak – €10m

20.Yakubu Aiyegbeni – Portsmouth to Boro – €9.75m