Newcastle signing may have big Aston Villa impact

It's being reported today that Newcastle United have agreed to terms with Lyon for a £8 million transfer of French striker Bafetimbi Gomis. Obviously, on the surface, this move has nothing to do with Aston Villa. But Newcastle have been one of the two teams vying for the services of Darren Bent. With Alan Pardew deciding to head in a different direction, that leaves only Fulham to bid on Bent.

When Fulham aggressively entered the bidding battle for Bent over the weekend, I thought it could spark a bidding war between the two clubs. But after a meeting, Newcastle and Bent were reportedly mutually unimpressed with one another. Rumours have swirled on twitter that Fulham have entered another bid in the £5 million range, and that they are currently haggling with Aston Villa over the precise value of any transfer.

It seems pretty clear that Darren Bent is headed out the door, but Newcastle losing interest in him means Villa won't get quite as much as we might have hoped. Nevertheless, it'll be good for both player and club to see him off to Fulham. Let's hope this happens quickly. I'd like to stop writing about it before too long.