The 29-year-old is heading for the exit door at Villa Park and it looked as though it would be a straight scrap between Newcastle and Fulham for his signature.
However, reports claim that Fulham boss Martin Jol has baulked at the player's wage demands meaning Newcastle have been given a free run to complete a deal.
Bent is reported to be on £80,000 a week at Villa and it now also remains to be seen if Toon owner Mike Ashley will be willing to pay that on top of the £5million transfer fee.
Pardew has worked with Bent in the past when they were together at Charlton and the striker believes St James' Park could be the place to get his career back on track if a deal can be agreed.
But Ashley does not want to fork out £5m for a player who is almost 30, with no re-sell value.
As for his wages?
Fabricio Coloccini is the top earner at Newcastle on a reported £60,000 per week, and that apparently is the "cap" Ashley has on wages.
An extra £20,000 on top of Colo's wages for a washed up Mackem who couldn't get a game for Aston Villa last season?
GIVE ME STRENGTH!
Pacos De Ferreira 1 Toon 1
PACOS DE FERREIRA: Filipe, Dias, Ruben, Leao, Caetano, Poulson, Oliveira, Lopes, Tony, Jose, Anunciacao.
NEWCASTLE UNITED: Elliot; Debuchy (Dummett, 84), S Taylor (Williamson, 79), Coloccini, Yanga-Mbiwa; Cabaye (Gutierrez, 46), Tiote; Sissoko (Vuckic, 79), Ben Arfa (Gouffran, 46, Campbell, 87), Sammy Ameobi (Santon, 46); Shola Ameobi (Marveaux, 73). Subs not used: Alnwick.
Pre-season friendlies can be like watching paint dry, as both teams draw up a truce - I won't tackle you if you don't tackle me. But this was a right feisty affair that threatened to blow up.
Fabricio Coloccini saw red during a stormy pre-season friendly in Portugal.
United created a chance after two minutes when Yohan Cabaye’s free-kick wasn’t cleared and it eventually fell for Shola Ameobi who fired the ball high over the bar.
The Magpies then had to absorb a spell of pressure from the home side as the Yellow Boys penned United in their own half.
But Manuel Jose’s dangerous left wing cross that bounced just wide of the far post was the closer they came to troubling Rob Elliot in the first 10 minutes.
But the home side grabbed the lead five minutes later.
A left wing cross from Jaime Poulson wasn’t dealt with by United and Caetano made mistake as he fired the ball home inside the box at the back post.
United enjoyed a glimpse of goal on 20 minutes when Ben Arfa motored down the left hand channel but as he neared the goal his powerful effort sailed over the bar.
In a lively contest Poulson took out Cabaye before the half hour mark but Steven Taylor levelled up matters on that score with a crunching tackle on Caetano.
Then Debuchy clashed with Helder with the French full-back having to be hauled away from the Pacos man.
The flare-up infuriated the United bench and home fans stormed towards the dugout to confront both John Carver and Andy Woodman before one fan was dragged away by his missus!
United almost netted on 32 minutes when Sammy Ameobi’s cross found Shola Ameobi at the back post but his header bounced wide.
Yet the unsavoury feel to the “friendly” continued when Anunciacao was booked for taking out Sammy Ameobi 11 minutes before the break.
Moments later United won a corner and Yohan Cabaye’s swirling corner was headed straight at keeper Antonio Filipe.
Caetano and Coloccini squared up on the edge of the box and with both raising their hands, ref Jorge Sousa issued red cards to make the game a 10-a-side contest on 37 minutes.
Coloccini’s hair was pulled by Caetano before he grabbed the player by the throat.
United made three changes at half-time with Jonas, Davide Santon and Yoan Gouffran replacing Cabaye, Ben Arfa and Sammy Ameobi.
Newcastle looked a more settled team in the second half and slowly applied the pressure with Shola Ameobi levelling the game up just after the hour mark.
His 61st minute strike saw the big striker pick up a pass from Gouffran before lashing the ball home with his left foot.
United continued to build up some pressure down the left and Santon’s left wing cross only just evaded Gouffran before Debuchy smashed the ball over the with 18 minutes to go.
There were just eight minutes left on the clock when Debuchy’s teasing cross found sub Harid Vuckic but his bullet header cracked the post.
Newcastle finished the stronger of the two sides on the night and Pardew will be happy with the level of performance.
United had to rely on a last gasp – on the line clearance from Vuckic – in the final moments of the game after Fernando Neto looked to have won it for the hosts.
WE TELL IT AS IT IS - NO BULLSHIT!
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PRE-SEASON FRIENDLIES:
Blackpool (A) July 29
St Mirren (A) July 31
Rangers (A) August 6
Braga (H) August 10
PACOS DE FERREIRA 1 NEWCASTLE 1 (Shola Ameobi)
Elliot; Debuchy (Dummett, 84), S Taylor (Williamson, 79), Coloccini, Yanga-Mbiwa; Cabaye (Gutierrez, 46), Tiote; Sissoko (Vuckic, 79), Ben Arfa (Gouffran, 46, Campbell, 87), Sammy Ameobi (Santon, 46); Shola Ameobi (Marveaux, 73). Subs not used: Alnwick.
RIO AVE 3 NEWCASTLE 1 (Shola Ameobi)
Alnwick (Elliot, 46); Santon (Williamson, 70), S Taylor, Yanga-Mbiwa, Dummett; Cabaye (Tiote, 46), Anita (Campbell, 76); Marveaux (Obertan, 46), Vuckic (Sissoko, 46), Gutierrez (Sammy Ameobi, 46); Gouffran (Shola Ameobi, 62).
MOTHERWELL 2 NEWCASTLE 4 (Vuckic, Gouffran, Sissoko, Marveaux)
Elliot; Tavernier, Williamson (S Taylor, 46), Yanga-Mbiwa (Streete, 82), Dummett; Sissoko (Abeid, 68), Anita (Amalfitano, 82); Obertan (Ferguson, 74), Vuckic (Marveaux, 46), Sammy Ameobi (Richardson, 82), Gouffran (Campbell, 58).
Sub not used: Alnwick.