Aston Villa boss Paul Lambert has revealed Bent is not for sale in what appears to be a huge transfer U-turn.
The £24million record signing looked to have no future under Lambert when he lost the captaincy in 2012 and was sent on loan to Fulham last season.
However, Bent is back in the squad this year with rumours chairman Randy Lerner is keen for Lambert to use the top earners rather than the youngsters.
Villa have drawn a blank in six of their last nine games stretching back to last season, and suffered a shock 1-0 Capital One Cup defeat to Leyton Orient on Wednesday.
Bent, who has 25 goals in 66 games for Villa, missed several chances against Cardiff on his first start for the club since May 2013.
Newcastle are desperate for a new striker, but it seems we were lucky NOT to get Bent in January ... and unlikely to get him this transfer window.