Newcastle United defender Lloyd Kelly has been strongly linked with a move away from the club during the January transfer window.
Despite only arriving at Newcastle in the summer, the former Bournemouth defender is attracting a lot of interest.
Fenerbahce submitted a bid for Kelly, though that was rejected.
Still, the Turkish giants are not the only club keen on the 26-year-old.
Juventus are in talks to sign Kelly and still intend to push ahead with their pursuit despite reportedly agreeing a deal to sign Renato Veiga from Chelsea.
Eddie Howe also signed Kelly at Bournemouth before bringing him to Newcastle but the strength of his defence so far this season has limited the player’s game time.
The Newcastle United manager, however, has confirmed the very latest on Kelly’s future at the club.
Eddie Howe confirms latest on Lloyd Kelly’s future at Newcastle
Kelly isn’t expected to start for Newcastle against Southampton this weekend but that does not mean he doesn’t have a future under Howe.
Indeed, Howe has confirmed he wants to keep Kelly at St James’ Park and appeared to stress that message again in light of the latest Juve reports.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the Saints game, 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. His challenge is to try and work his way into the team. He’s only just arrived, so I think he’s got a lot to achieve here.”
Eddie Howe has already revealed why Lloyd Kelly does not start for Newcastle
It would be natural to want to keep Kelly, particularly halfway through what looks like it could be a successful season for Newcastle.
Quite why Howe would actively want to weaken his squad at this stage of the campaign is up for debate – particularly if the club do not sign anyone this month.
Still, Howe has already explained Kelly’s lack of game time at Newcastle.
“The form of Dan [Burn] and Fabian [Schar] at the heart of the defence has been really strong, especially as of late,” he said earlier this month.
“We’ve looked good defensively. That’s always a position where it’s difficult for me to rotate too much. I prefer to keep a settled back four and not chop and change. The stability of your team is based on relationships.
“But Lloyd is training hard, he’s training very well and he’s waiting for his chance.”
The simple fact of the matter is that there are other players ahead of him in the pecking order and all of them are playing well. Right now, that doesn’t look like changing.
Receive a digest of our best Newcastle content each week direct to your mailbox
