Fabrizio Romano confirms Newcastle United first summer transfer as £14.5m deal triggered

Lloyd Kelly joined Juventus on an initial loan deal from Newcastle United in January which included an obligation to buy in the summer. The deal is worth around £20million in total should all criteria be met.

The 26-year-old defender joined Newcastle on a free transfer last summer but was limited to just 14 appearances in all competitions in his first half season before joining Juventus on loan.

Kelly has since made 13 appearances for Juve but a thigh injury has threatened to cut his season short.

Juventus trigger Lloyd Kelly transfer

Juventus have three games left in their season and, like Newcastle, are looking to secure Champions League qualification. The Turin outfit 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.

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.

Several reports in the Italian media cast doubt over a potential deal for Kelly but those were played down by official Newcastle sources. The Gazette understands Newcastle are certain Kelly will join Juventus on a permanent transfer this summer with the performance-related criteria set to trigger Juventus’ obligation to buy regardless of whether Kelly plays again this season or Juventus qualify for Europe.

Fresh reports from Il Biancanero in Italy have backed that up by claiming Kelly will sign for Juventus permanently with the player already reaching the number of appearances required to trigger a permanent deal. Instead of European qualification triggering the transfer, it will trigger potential add-ons Juventus have to pay Newcastle this summer.

The initial loan fee and permanent transfer are worth £14.5million in total, though Newcastle will be granted an extra £5.4million in add-ons should Juve qualify for Europe.

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that Juventus have activated the transfer. Romano tweeted: “It was always a permanent move planned with no chance of return to Newcastle but now formally completed.”

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A great piece of business for Newcastle United

The sale of Kelly, who arrived on a free transfer at Newcastle and was a high earner will be seen as a great piece of business by the club as they look to boost their PSR figures ahead of the 2025-26 season.

While The Magpies were ‘very reluctant’ to sell Kelly in January, it has so far done them very little harm as they have gone on to win the Carabao Cup and climb up to fourth in the Premier League table with three games left to play.

Reflecting on Kelly’s exit, Howe said back in February: “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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