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Liverpool join battle for £15m Bent
Last updated at 12:22pm on 16.05.07Charlton have put a £15million price tag on Darren Bent after Liverpool entered the race to sign the England striker.
Tottenham and West Ham are also in the running for the 23-year-old, who is understood to prefer a move to White Hart Lane.
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Charlton are determined to get as much money as they can for Bent and are adamant they won't be bullied into selling him on the cheap even though they have been relegated to the Championship.
Spurs have been linked with a £10m bid for Bent, while West Ham have reportedly offered £12m, but neither offer is close enough to Charlton's asking price.
They hope Liverpool's interest will begin a bidding war that will see the price reach or even go above £15m, especially as they turned down an £18m bid from West Ham in January.
Anfield boss Rafael Benitez is looking to sign another striker having already released Robbie Fowler while Dirk Kuyt, Peter Crouch and Craig Bellamy have not been prolific enough this season. Kuyt was the club's top Premiership scorer with 12 goals, followed by Crouch with nine and Bellamy with seven.
By contrast, despite missing part of the campaign through injury, Bent scored 13 of Charlton's 34 goals as they fought in vain to avoid the drop.
By contrast, despite missing part of the campaign through injury, Bent scored 13 of Charlton's 34 goals as they fought in vain to avoid the drop.
That has impressed Benitez, who spent lavishly on his forward line last summer, splashing out £10m to sign Kuyt from Feyenoord and £6m on Bellamy from Blackburn.
The manager has been promised money to spend following the takeover by Americans Tom Hicks and George Gillett so he can turn the club into genuine challengers for the Premiership next season.
Liverpool's are close to agreeing a new, long-term contract with captain Steven Gerrard, said to be worth £30m, and Benitez believes this shows the ambition of the club.
“The message we want to send out to the world is that we are progressing,” he said.
“We are trying to prepare the club for the future and we are trying to show confidence in the players who are here.
“The good news is players want to stay because they know we are progressing. If they stay here maybe they realise they have more opportunities of winning trophies.
“We want to be a strong team and a strong squad. If we want to win more titles in the future, keeping players like Steven is key.”
West Ham are also looking to invest following their miraculous escape and are keen to follow up on their interest in Bent from four months ago.
But the striker is believed to favour a switch to Spurs and the opportunity to play alongside Dimitar Berbatov up front next season.
Martin Jol's side also need another striker, with Mido set to leave, and see Bent as the man who could fire the club into the top four and a place in the Champions League.
Spurs are the furthest from meeting Charlton's valuation but are not looking to rush the deal, although news of Liverpool's interest may change all that.
It has also been reported that Jermain Defoe, who is already a target for Aston Villa, is top of Portsmouth's wish list. The England international has been used mostly as a substitute in recent weeks and Spurs could be looking to sell.
