Aston Villa were hoping to lure Leonardo Ulloa to the Championship, but the Leicester City outcast has Premier League offers from Crystal Palace and Brighton.
There may be a rather anti-climactic end to Aston Villa’s long-running pursuit of Leonardo Ulloa.
The Birmingham Mail reported before Christmas that Villa boss Steve Bruce had identified the Leicester City striker as his top target for the January transfer window, provided the Foxes would let him leave on loan.
But Villa’s hopes of seeing Ulloa clad in claret and blue now appear to be hanging by a thread. Because the Daily Mail stated that Brighton have joined the race for the Argentine striker and it does not take a genius to work out why Ulloa would be tempted by a return to the South Coast.
Not only can Brighton offer Premier League football, Ulloa also owes the Seagulls for giving him his chance in English football when plucking him from Almeria back in 2012.
And The Sunday Mirror (21st January, page 63) claims that Ulloa has another top flight offer in the shape of Crystal Palace. Roy Hodgson wants a back-up option for the misfiring Christian Benteke and Ulloa, a physical and aerially impressive targetman who is proven in the Premier League, fits the bill.
It is understood that Palace are close to a deal. Villa’s chances, then, have just got a lot slimmer.
Fortunately though, Scott Hogan has scored four goals in his last three games and is finding form as a Villa player for the first time.
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