Fulham are preparing a bid for Aston Villa striker Darren Bent.

The Mirror says Fulham will look to take advantage of the situation by launching a £12million bid for Bent in January. It remains to be seen whether Villa would be prepared to take such a big hit on 28-year-old Bent after signing him in a deal worth £24m from Sunderland.

Fulham boss Martin Jol is eager to bolster his striking options and is a big fan of Bent, having been manager of Tottenham when the England international moved to White Hart Lane.

"If your club wants to be top 10, you need strikers such as Darren Bent, who'll score 15-20 goals a season," said Jol.