Barcelona turned their attention to Ghana international Kevin-Prince Boateng after Nigerian forward Odion Ighalo rejected the move to Camp Nou.
The Calatans signed Kevin-Prince Boateng on a six-month loan deal in January for £1.8m deal which includes an option to buy for £7.1m.
According to Ighalo, the chance to play for the La Liga giants was tempting but he opted against the move due to the idea of playing second fiddle to Luiz Suarez after having a good season with Shanghai Shenhua.Â
"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.
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