Newcastle United expect to confirm £20m transfer after bombshell UEFA claim

Lloyd Kelly joined Juventus on an initial loan deal from Newcastle with an obligation to buy in the summer. The deal is worth around £20million in total.

Kelly joined Newcastle on a free transfer last summer but was limited to just 14 appearances in all competitions during his first half season before being loaned out to Juventus.

The 26-year-old has since made 13 appearances for Juventus but suffered a thigh injury during the recent win over Monza. He missed Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Bologna as a result.

Juventus have three games left in their season as they, like Newcastle, look to secure Champions League qualification. Juve sit fourth in the Serie A table, with only goal difference keeping them inside the Champions League places and just one point away from dropping out of Europe altogether.

Italian media raise doubts over Lloyd Kelly deal - Newcastle United respond

Reports from the Italian media have claimed Kelly’s permanent move to Juventus will depend on performance-related criteria that involve the Turin club qualifying for a UEFA competition.

A report from Tuttomercato claimed, Juventus must qualify for any of the next season's UEFA competitions in order to trigger the permanent transfer of Kelly.

But any doubts over the transfer going ahead have been played down by Newcastle sources. The club expect Kelly to join Juventus on a permanent transfer in the summer, with the performance-related criteria required to trigger Juventus’ obligation to buy set to be met.

Newcastle United ‘very reluctant’ to sell Lloyd Kelly

Newcastle’s deal to loan Kelly and ultimately agree to sell him this summer was a ‘reluctant’ 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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