Fulham boss Martin Jol wants to table a bid for Darren Bent this week - and beat Newcastle to the England striker claims the Sunday People's Dave Kidd.
Jol met new Craven Cottage owner Shahid Khan this week and left confident that he can meet Aston Villa's £5million asking price.
The Dutchman has made the signing of an out-and-out goalscorer his priority this summer and has been pursuing Bent for some time - as first revealed by Sunday People Sport last year.
Jol worked briefly with Bent at Tottenham and knows the 29-year-old, despite a tough time at Villa, has been a proven goalscorer with five different clubs.
Newcastle chief Alan Pardew has also made Bent his No.1 transfer target, with the club yet to secure a major signing this summer.
Toon's controversial director of football Joe Kinnear has been charged with completing the signing. But it is believed that Bent would prefer a return to his native London - and he also has concerns that he may struggle to win acceptance on Tyneside as he is a former Sunderland favourite.
Bent may have to take a cut in his current £65,000-a-week Villa deal to move to either club, though - and that means Villa may have to pay the player the shortfall in his wages.
Fulham made three early signings this summer - Dutch keeper Maarten Stekelenburg, midfield man Derek Boateng, and Fernando Amorebieta to plug up their defence.
But Jol is desperate for a striker to play in front of Dimitar Berbatov and believes that Bent is the ideal man.
Jol's job is safe, despite Fulham's change of ownership, but he knows his side will need to make a good start to the new season.
Highly-regarded Fulham chief executive Alastair Mackintosh has survived the purge of club directors under Khan and will remain in his key boardroom role.
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