Brighton and Hove Albion have this morning announced the arrival of Leonardo Ulloa, handing Aston Villa a crushing transfer blow, with the Sky Bet Championship outfit failing in their pursuit of the striker.  

Ulloa had emerged as a firm target of Steve Bruce, who had hoped to lure the striker into the Championship to bolster Villa’s promotion hopes during the second-half of the season.

However, Ulloa has returned to Brighton, where he previously had a spell in the Championship, which saw the 31-year-old striker establish himself as one of the best forward’s outside the Premier League.

Since then, Ulloa has lifted the Premier League trophy with Leicester City, who have moved him on this month, with Ulloa returning to the Amex Stadium on-loan until the end of the season.

Villa will now have to turn their attention elsewhere, with just days of the January transfer window left.

Bruce is without Jonathan Kodjia, who looks like missing the remainder of the season, leaving Scott Hogan and Keinan Davis with the goalscoring burden at Villa Park.

The duo have so far managed to fire Villa to fourth in the Championship table, with Bruce’s side looking a good bet for play-off football later in the season.

The Verdict

What a blow this is for Villa, who will have had hopes of securing Ulloa on a temporary deal.

Ulloa would’ve answered a lot of Villa’s problems, and seeing him move to Brighton is a blow for the club.

Bruce needs to act quickly to source another option.

Aston Villa fans… Let us know your thoughts!

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