Juventus release Lloyd Kelly statement after Newcastle United agree £20m transfer

Kelly picked up a thigh injury following Juventus’ 2-0 win over Monza in the Serie A on Sunday. The 26-year-old has been ruled out for at least 10 days though there are doubts over when he will return to action.

Juve have just four games left in their Serie A season as they look to secure Champions League qualification.

Kelly joined the Italian club on loan from Newcastle United in January and has since gone on to make 13 appearances. The defender joined Newcastle on a free transfer last summer but was limited to just 14 appearances in his first half season.

In addition to the loan, Juventus also have an obligation to buy Kelly from Newcastle this summer based on performance-related criteria. The deal is understood to be worth around £20million in total.

Juventus release statement confirming Lloyd Kelly injury bombshell

According to reports in Italy, the performance-related criteria Juventus must meet to trigger the obligation to buy Kelly is based around European qualification. They moved up to fourth in the table following Sunday’s win, but are just three points inside the European places as things stand.

But they have been dealt a blow with Kelly now facing a spell on the sidelines.

A statement released by Juventus (tranlsated from Italian) read: “Lloyd Kelly, having reported a muscular problem in his right thigh at the end of last night's match, underwent diagnostic tests at J|medical this morning which revealed a low-grade lesion of the biceps femoris.

“In about 10 days, new tests will be repeated to define the exact recovery times."

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Newcastle United ‘very reluctant’ to sell Lloyd Kelly

Newcastle’s deal to loan Kelly and ultimately agree to sell him this summer was a ‘relucant’ one from head coach Eddie Howe’s point of view. Howe had signed Kelly for his former club AFC Bournemouth and was quick to swoop in when he became a free agent last summer.

But limited first-team starts and high wages meant the club made a transfer decision for financial reasons that risked leaving them short of defensive options for the second half of the campaign. So far it hasn’t impacted Newcastle as they have won the Carabao Cup and moved up to third in the Premier League table.

Discussing the move, Newcastle head coach Howe said: “We were very reluctant from our side. Lloyd is a player who has just recently signed and we believed in him and his qualities.

“It was frustrating for him that he hadn't played more, in part down to the other players around him.

“But we are in the world and we have been in this window of trying to manage PSR and trying to make decisions that will benefit us in the long term. This is one of those decisions.

“Lloyd leaves with our best wishes. I'm sure he'll do well in Italy and it's an exciting challenge for him.”

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