Sunderland have given up on signing Leicester City striker Leonardo Ulloa after they had a third bid of £7.5m plus add-ons turned down by Leicester City, according to Sky Sports.

What's the latest?

Ulloa has made it publicly clear that he wants to leave the Premier League champions, but Claudio Ranieri and the board are not budging.

The Argentine is fed up of playing a bit-part role having made 12 Premier League appearances, with just one as a starter.

Sunderland were keen on recruiting the forward, but Leicester reportedly made it clear that they will not sell him to a Premier League rival.

Sky Sports claim that bids of £3m and £5m rising to £7m were rejected by the Foxes, and now they have been unsuccessful once again with another offer.

The broadcaster claims that the Black Cats will not make a last-ditch effort before the window closes at 11pm, which has prompted Ulloa's representatives to look for options elsewhere in Europe.

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What happens now for Ulloa?

If he cannot seal a late deal elsewhere this evening, then he faces a tough four months at the King Power Stadium.

On Monday, Ulloa made some claims that could turn his relationship with Leicester sour.

He threatened to go on strike if a transfer was not sanctioned and admitted that he felt "betrayed" by manager Claudio Ranieri.

The fact that Leicester have been so reluctant to sell in this window suggests that Ranieri wants to keep Ulloa as an option, but that will be made difficult if the striker refuses to play.

We have already seen this occur at West Ham United, where Dimitri Payet, who has now returned to Marseille, was shunned to the Under-23s after telling manager Slaven Bilic that he will not play for the club again.

Perhaps things will blow over eventually and Ulloa will patiently wait for a move in the summer.

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