Villa hitman in Jol's sights

Fulham have been linked with a £12million swoop for Aston Villa striker Darren Bent after Martin Jol revealed his admiration for him.

The Cottagers boss is the latest to be linked with the England international striker, who has found himself struggling for a first-team place at Villa Park under current boss Paul Lambert this season. Bent was stripped of the captaincy at the start of the season with summer signing Ron Vlaar taking on the armband, while he has only started one of Villa's last four league games. He again had to settle for a substitute appearance on Saturday as Lambert preferred an attacking duo of Christian Benteke and Gabby Agbonlahor in the 1-1 home draw against Norwich. And with the possibility that Lambert could make Villa's £24million record transfer signing available in the January transfer window, Jol has made his potential interest public. The Dutch tactician said: "If your club wants to be top 10, you need strikers such as Darren Bent, who'll score 15-20 goals a season." Meanwhile, Bent has no interest in leaving Villa and insists that, if he is sold, it will be because the club no longer want him. He told The Sun: "If they feel in January it's time for a parting of the ways then that'll be down to them - it won't be my doing. "It won't come from my side. I won't ask for a transfer, of course I wouldn't do that." Bent added: "Villa are a massive club and I always want to play for huge clubs. For me to ask for a move would be silly, especially at this stage of the season when there's still a long way to go."