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Fulham and Newcastle in intense competition for Aston Villa striker

Move over, Gareth Bale, the day's real transfer news is the bidding war over a proven English veteran striker.

Stu Forster

Aston Villa may be moving closer to moving Darren Bent, and in a shocking bit of news, they may receive their full £6 million valuation for the out-of-favor striker. Fulham have reportedly improved their bid for Bent in response to a combination of issues. Apparently the Cottagers had a bid rejected over the weekend, and that, combined with Newcastle's Joe Kinnear increasing his interest in the former Sunderland striker, meant an increased bid.

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We've said it time and time again: anything for Bent at this point is pretty much free money. If all Villa had been able to do was offload Bent's wages, they'd really be coming out ahead. I had initially thought they could probably get £3 or £4 million for the hero of the 2010-11 season, but the fact that two teams with a need for a striker seem to want him makes me think that £6 million is realistic.

Fulham are hoping to get some more depth up front, and Kinnear has yet to sign a player since becoming Newcastle's director of football. I'm not sure that Bent really is the right answer for either club, but I certainly don't want to discourage them from spending their money. I mean, have you seen what he's still capable of?

Bent1_medium

Darren Bent: a bargain a twice whatever price you end up paying for him!

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