Fulham enter race to sign Darren Bent?

Fulham have reportedly emerged as one of the frontrunners to sign Darren Bent from Aston Villa next month.

The England international has been widely tipped to leave Villa Park during the upcoming transfer window, having seemingly fallen out of favour with manager Paul Lambert.

That has alerted Fulham manager Martin Jol, who is prepared to match Villa's £8m asking price for the 28-year-old, according to The People.

However, the report has also claimed that Bent would have to take a slight wage cut in order to finalise a move to Craven Cottage.

Bent joined Villa in January 2011 from Sunderland.