STRIKER LIGHT
SUNDERLAND NEED TO BOLSTER FORWARD LINE BEFORE TRANSFER WINDOW SLAMS SHUT TONIGHT
Sunderland are desperate to seal a deal for a new striker on deadline day, with top target Leonardo Ulloa locked in an extraordinary stand-off with Leicester City.
The Foxes turned down a £7million bid from Sunderland yesterday, with manager Claudio Ranieri insisting that the striker will not be sold.
That came just days after he hinted that the Argentinian could be allowed to leave - and it sparked a furious reaction from Ulloa.
The 30-year-old has threatened to go on strike and said he has been ‘betrayed’ by the Italian boss.
He said: “I’m a bit sad about the current situation.
“It’s been two wonderful years at the club but now, given my situation - not playing and not being part of the team’s plans - I feel that the best way forward is I leave and I can be happy somewhere else.
“The manager has been telling me for the last three months and the last two weeks that if an offer of around £4-5m was arriving to the club, he will help me to leave.
“My understanding is that at this moment, there are offers around those figures or even bigger that are not being considered.
“I can’t really understand the situation or why they don’t let me continue playing my football somewhere else.
“If I stay at the club, it is going to seriously affect my career and my future. They know I am not going to be used.
“The best thing for both parties is they sell me to another club and I can continue