Nigel Worthington would love to bring Ipswich Town striker Darren Bent to Carrow Road during January transfer window – but he's sure he will be priced out of the market.
The Norwich City manager travelled across the county border with his assistant Doug Livermore to watch Town play Preston last weekend and was hugely impressed with the performance of their 20-year-old frontman.
Bent took his goal tally for the season into double figures as Joe Royle's side recorded a convincing 3-0 success and is rapidly acquiring a reputation as one of the Championship's most sought-after strikers.
Charlton have already had a £3m bid for the player turned down while Aston Villa have also been linked with a transfer swoop – and Town are unlikely to think about letting their prized asset go for anything less than £4m.
Such a price tag would almost certainly put him out of Worthington's reach – but that hasn't stopped the City boss from expressing an interest in the in-form striker.
"I watched Ipswich last weekend against Preston and they are a good side," he said in an interview on Radio Broadland. "If I had £3 or £4m to spend I might try and get the boy Bent.
"He's the one I would really love to take. He is a quality young player with great pace. He's got a wonderful leap when he's going for the ball and he knows where the net is. He is also a willing worker.
"But I think he will have bigger fish to fry. A lot of clubs who are a lot wealthier than us at this moment time are likely to be interested in Darren Bent."
The striker has scored 42 goals in 109 appearances for Ipswich since making his debut as a 17-year-old in a UEFA Cup victory over Swedish side Helsingborgs in November 2001.
This season he has netted six times for Town, and has also scored four goals in five appearances for England's Under-21 side.
A combination of a huge asking price, the interest of other clubs and the fact that Bent is Ipswich through and through is likely to prevent him ever crossing the big divide.
A more likely Norwich target at Portman Road might just be strike partner Shefki Kuqi who is scoring goals for fun at present – and was linked with a switch to the Canaries before joining their East Anglian rivals from Sheffield Wednesday last season.
Source: Pink'un
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im sure Worthy could bring in Bent if he really need him but i hear Villa up'ted there bid for him to somethink like £4 mill
maybe Kuqi actually the real target
lets all hope not
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Leroy!, Leroy!, Leroy!
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NEXT MATCH: Nottingham Forest Vs. Norwich City | City Ground (Nottingham) | Sat 22nd Nov 2008 | Championship
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NEXT DOMESTIC CUP MATCH: TBA
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TEAM FROM LAST MATCH: David Marshall, Jon Otsemobor, John Kennedy, Gary Doherty, Ryan Bertrand, Sammy Clingan, Matty Pattison, Mark Fotheringham (Wes Hoolahan 62), David Bell, Arturo Lupoli (Jamie Cureton 66), Leroy Lita
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