Sunderland tried three times to sign Leonardo Ulloa in January but Leicester City are definitely willing to sell one year on.
Leonardo Ulloa must have been the only man in England who was glad to see Claudio Ranieri sacked by Leicester City in February – just nine months after leading The Foxes to the most remarkable of Premier League triumphs.
Almost a year on, however, and it’s clear that Ranieri’s controversial departure has not salvaged Ulloa’s career at the King Power Stadium. The Uruguayan struggled for opportunities under assistant coach turned manager Craig Shakespeare and has also failed to feature in any of Claude Puel’s first three games at the helm.
The Sun is now reporting that the new Foxes boss is keen to trim down his squad in January – with Ulloa, Ahmed Musa and Yohan Benalouane all set to be sacrificed in the New Year.
And while Ulloa has barely featured for almost a year-and-a-half, his prolonged inactivity surely won’t mean there is a shortage of interest – especially from clubs in the second tier. A powerful targetman who is a real threat in the air, the 31-year-old netted 23 goals in 50 Championship games for Brighton between 2012 and 2014 and could kick-start his career with a return to the division.
If there is one club who need Ulloa more than most, it’s a side who tried to sign him on a number of occasions a few months ago. The Mail reported on January deadline day that Leicester had rejected three bids from Sunderland for the striker, the latter reaching as high as £7.5 million, with The Black Cats then seen as a relegation rival.
These days, Sunderland find themselves bottom of the Championship. And while they would be unable to stump up such a transfer fee this time, the prospect of a short-term loan deal or a cut-price valuation should make Ulloa the club’s stand-out option in January.
Sunderland need a goalscorer to lift them up the table and signing Ulloa would be the perfect belated welcoming present for Chris Coleman.
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