St James’ Park side keen to seal deal to sign Villa Park bit-part player.
Newcastle United are expected to complete the signing of Aston Villa striker Darren Bent by this weekend according to the Daily Mail.
Magpies boss Alan Pardew has made the 29 year old his number one summer transfer target and will hope that uncertainty over the Aston Villa future of top scorer Christian Benteke doesn’t hold up his pursuit of the England international.
Bent has been frozen out of first team action by boss Paul Lambert and is no doubt keen to secure regular first team football, not least as he may still have ambitions of breaking back into the England national team set-up.
The former Sunderland man was handed just eight Premier League starts last term but is a proven Premier League marksman and a player that cost Aston Villa a club record £18m to sign back in January 2011.
Bent has racked up a total of 178 goals in 426 appearances in a career that has seen the Londoner ply his trade at Ipswich Town, Charlton Athletic, Tottenham and Sunderland.
Indeed Bent played under Pardew during his spell at the South London club.