Report: Crystal Palace beat Aston Villa in the race for Leonardo Ulloa

Follow us on Google Discover

Crystal Palace have won the race to sign Leicester City striker Leonardo Ulloa. Aston Villa were also interested.

According to reports from the Sunday Mirror (printed edition; 21/01/2018 – page 63), Crystal Palace have won the race to sign Leicester City striker Leonardo Ulloa.

Championship play-off hopefuls Aston Villa were interested in signing the 31-year-old striker after losing Jonathan Kodjia for the rest of the campaign.

Steve Bruce was hoping to bring the striker to Villa Park on loan till the end of the season, but it seems Roy Hodgson has hijacked the deal.

The Argentine striker joined Leicester in 2014 from Brighton and Hove Albion, and scored 20 goals for the club in all competitions.

This season he has managed only four substitute appearances for the Foxes, managing only 19 minutes of action in the Premier League. He has dropped down the pecking order at the club, and does not feature in Claude Puel’s plans.

The report adds that Hodgson has struck a deal with the Foxes to sign the striker on loan after agreeing to pay his £60,000-a-week wages, with a view to make the move permanent.

The Eagles already have Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Chelsea) and Timothy Fosu-Mensah (Manchester United) on temporary deals, and therefore it could be a problem for the Eagles to get him on loan in January.