Darren Bent scored 36 goals for Sunderland across just two seasons on Wearside.
Sunderland manager Jack Ross is on the lookout for a proven striker to bolster the Black Cats’ attacking options this season.
The League One side are currently heavily reliant on 19-year-old Josh Maja up front, with Charlie Wyke, Jerome Sinclair and Duncan Watmore all out injured.
However, with former talisman Darren Bent currently without a club, Ross should acquire the services of the former fan favourite for this season.
Bent scored 36 goals across two seasons from 2009 to 2011 in a Sunderland shirt, but returned to the Stadium of Light to haunt his former side last season when he scored for Burton Albion in a relegation six pointer.
However, if Sunderland could persuade the former England international to join a new era on Wearside on a short-term basis, they could have one of the most prolific strikers in Premier League history on their books for the third-tier campaign.
Bent has scored goals at every club he has signed for, including Charlton Athletic, Ipswich Town, Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur, as well as recent spells in the Championship with Derby County and Burton.
The move for their former prolific forward would also come with little risk for what could be a high reward, with Bent without a club at the moment and unlikely to break the bank in wages.
However, Ross will have to decide whether a move for Bent would bring unwanted disruption to what is seemingly a settled squad on Wearside at the moment.
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