London, Jan 19 : Striker Darren Bent completed his move from Sunderland to Aston Villa for a fee of 18 million pounds ($27 million) possible rising to 24 million pounds.

The England international submitted a transfer request after Sunday's 1-1 draw against Newcastle United.

"It's hugely disappointing that Darren has decided that his future lies away from Sunderland and the players, our supporters and the club as a whole have every right to feel massively let down," said Sunderland manager Steve Bruce.

"The timing is especially hard to take, given that we are progressing positively and are in a great position to push on."

Sunderland are sixth in the Premier League table, but Bent, who hit 25 goals last season after joining the club for 10 million pounds from Tottenham Hotspur and has netted 11 so far this season, has not been in top form since the arrival of Asamoah Gyan in August.

"Everyone has been nothing but supportive of Darren in his time at Sunderland, but it's obvious he's not been himself in training and we've certainly not seen the best of him in games in recent weeks - and we now understand why," Bruce said.

"I've always stated that my aim is to build a talented, young squad for the long-term to help the club achieve sustained success and I want Sunderland fans to know that our ambitions haven't changed on that front."

Bent offered his reasons for making the move.

"Aston Villa is a massive football club, and as soon as I knew they were interested in signing me I wanted to join," he said.

"The size of the football club and the history of the club are major reasons for me coming here.

"There are some top, top players here too, real quality, and I've been able to speak to the manager and the owner about their ambitions for the club."(DPA)