Magpies enter impasse in negotiations with top-flight rival.
Newcastle United are still keen to sign unwanted Aston Villa front man Darren Bent this summer, but only if both the player himself and his club lower their demands, says the Sunday Mirror.
The some-time England international has been at Villa Park for the past two-and-a-half seasons now, having originally arrived in the Midlands from Sunderland for a fee that could ultimately rise to as much as £24 million in Jan 2011.
And in the intervening two-and-a-half years the 29-year-old has endured a stop-start career at Villa, culminating in Bent losing both his starting place up front in the team, as well as the captain’s armband, under new Villa head coach Paul Lambert in the previous campaign.
As a result, the striker made only the 23 appearances all season for Villa, scoring just the six goals in the process, including three strikes in his 16 Premier League contests, and now the Magpies want to take advantage of his situation by luring Bent to St James’ Park this summer.
However, Newcastle are adamant that they will not meet either Villa’s £6m asking price, or Bent’s £75,000-per-week salary demands.
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