The transfer saga surrounding Newcastle United defender Lloyd Kelly has taken many twists in the last 24 hours.
Just when it looked like Newcastle United were going to have a quiet end to the transfer window, another bombshell was dropped.
Late on Saturday after Newcastle lost 2-1 to Fulham at St James’ Park, it was revealed that Lloyd Kelly was set to join Juventus on an initial loan deal with an obligation to buy in the summer.
The news comes after Newcastle fans said goodbye to Miguel Almiron who returned to MLS club Atlanta United after six years on Tyneside.
Kelly had agreed to contract terms, and he was set to fly to Turin on Sunday. However, it is believed that Kelly has not yet made that trip to Italy.
As the transfer window edges closer to its deadline, a new shock revelation has come to light regarding the move.
Lloyd Kelly set for Juventus medical
It has been a hectic 24 hours for Newcastle and Kelly to get this transfer over the line. Now, it finally looks like an agreement has been reached for the 26-year-old.
Fabrizio Romano has reported that Newcastle and Juventus have officially come to an agreement over a move for Kelly – he has been given permission to fly to turn for a medical.
After Saturday’s news, it looks like the holdup was on the actual transfer fee rather than anything on the player’s side.
It will be a loan with an obligation to buy in the summer. The fee has now been reported at £20m with a sell-on clause rather than the £15m that was initially thought to have been agreed.
Sporting director Paul Mitchell has done a fantastic job of getting the fee up and giving Eddie Howe a great chance to spend in the summer transfer window.
Kelly’s time on Tyneside ends after just a few short months. The defender made 10 appearances in the Premier League but failed to make an impact.
Will Newcastle buy after selling Lloyd Kelly
The fee that Newcastle will bag for Kelly is a huge help for PSR which the club have been struggling with for some time. It has always been believed that Newcastle needed to sell before buying, and they should be in a position to do that with Almiron and Kelly leaving the club.
However, according to Craig Hope, Kelly’s exit does not mean a new player will be joining Newcastle this window.
It looks like all other transfer business will now be done in the summer. Howe did not expect any other players to leave after Almiron, but they were handed a big opportunity to raise pure profit for Kelly which was clearly too good to turn down.
The sell-on clause also means Newcastle have a chance to make even more money from his exit in the future. Fans may not know it yet, but they could be saluting Mitchell for getting this deadly done.
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