Newcastle United defender Lloyd Kelly is closing in on a move to Juventus ahead of deadline day.
A fee of around £15million has been spoken about for the centre-back who could have made his farewell appearance in the 2-1 loss to Fulham just six months after arriving. The suggestion is an initial loan spell with an obligation to buy at the end of the season.
Sources in Italy have stated that Kelly is booked for a medical and the deal could be pushed through over the weekend.
Whether that would free up any room for incomings on Tyneside remains to be seen, with Newcastle stubbornly playing down business in the other direction in the past 48 hours.
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe had stated on Friday that the Magpies aren’t keen on selling Kelly or anybody else after the departure of Miguel Almiron to Atlanta United. The Toon chief said 24 hours ago: “As we stand now, currently I don’t. But, yeah, things can change, but as we stand at the moment, I expect the squad to remain the same.”
Speaking on ex-Bristol City star Kelly earlier this month, Howe said: “I’ve seen a little bit of the speculation on Lloyd. We’ve certainly not had any bid anywhere close to making the club make a decision on that. Lloyd’s an integral part of what we’re doing from my perspective.”
If Kelly is moved on and Howe is left with a thin layer of cover at centre-back, it would leave Newcastle looking vulnerable if they lose the 25-year-old. Dan Burn, Sven Botman and Fabian Schar are the only three fit centre-backs.
Howe said that Jamaal Lascelles won’t be back until March after a long-term knee injury and Alex Murphy is on loan at Bolton Wanderers until the end of the season.