According to a transfer report in the Birmingham Mail, Aston Villa’s pursuit of Leonardo Ulloa is set to go down to the wire this month, with Leicester City still holding doubts over a potential deal for the striker.  

Villa remain keen on striking a deal with Leicester this week, but the Premier League club have their reservations, with another of their strikers, Islam Slimani, also potentially heading for the exit door at the King Power Stadium.

Leicester are waiting to see what route that chain of events takes before sanctioning a move for Ulloa.

Despite the late doubt surrounding the deal, Villa are hopeful of securing a deal for Ulloa, who has previous Championship experience with Brighton and Hove Albion.

The 31-year-old scored 23 goals in 50 Championship appearances for the Seagulls, before making a switch to Leicester, who he has since won the Premier League title with.

Steve Bruce is keen to add a striker to his squad this month to deputise for Jonathan Kodjia, who he has lost to a season-ending injury, with last season’s 19-goal hero struggling for large parts of the campaign.

Villa have relied on Keinan Davis over the course of the season, but Scott Hogan has recently stepped up to support his teenage teammate, with the Irishman in a good run of goalscoring form in the Championship.

The Verdict

Villa will face an anxious wait over Ulloa, who has been a long-term target of Bruce.

The end of the transfer window is under a week away now, and Villa are yet to secure a deal for the striker that Bruce craves.

Securing Ulloa’s signature in the coming days could be the difference between Villa pushing on in their hunt for promotion, or watching those hopes fade away.

Aston Villa fans… Let us know your thoughts!