Villa and Hull make last ditch bid for 14m Bent
DARREN BENT was last night at the centre of a transfer tug-of-war after Aston Villa and Hull City moved to hijack his move to Sunderland.
Bent, 25, looked all set to complete a proposed transfer to the Black Cats today after undergoing a medical at the Stadium of Light. But Villa and Hull are now said to be willing to match Spurs’ £14m valuation, leaving Bent in an 11th-hour quandary.
While Sunderland are still favourites to complete the deal, Bent will surely be tempted by a move to Villa Park, which would not only bring Europa League football next season but also give him the chance to play alongside England colleagues Emile Heskey, Gabriel Agbonlahor and Ashley Young.
Hull, meanwhile, would see Bent as a token signing having missed out on the likes of Michael Owen, Bobby Zamora and Mark Antoine-Fortune.
Either way, Bent is certain to leave Spurs this summer after boss Harry Redknapp completed the £9m signing of Peter Crouch on Monday night.
Bent was hauled off of the club’s flight to China to begin advanced talks with Sunderland boss Steve Bruce, but the interest of Villa and Hull has now thrown a spanner into the works.