Turkish giants ramp up transfer interest in Newcastle United & Aston Villa defenders amid £6m 'rejected bid'
The latest transfer talk from Newcastle United as the Magpies receive a surprise offer for a summer signing.
Turkish giants Fenerbahce are reportedly keen on a January move for Newcastle United defender Lloyd Kelly - and have already been unsuccessful with one offer for the Magpies summer signing.
After initially working with United manager Eddie Howe during his time with Bournemouth, the versatile defender joined the Magpies on a free transfer during the summer after his Cherries contract came to a close. After featuring in a number of pre-season friendlies, Kelly has made just four Premier League starts and has made just one substitute appearance since he started the 2-0 home defeat against West Ham United in late November.
However, he did make a 90-minute appearance in Sunday’s FA Cup third round win against Bromley and came off the bench for the 25 minutes of the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg win at Arsenal.
Speaking earlier this month about Kelly’s limited opportunities, Howe said: “They have, but that’s been down to the form of the lads who have played. Lloyd is a versatile player. He can play in a number of positions. The form of Dan [Burn] and Fabian [Schar] at the heart of the defence has been really strong, especially as of late. 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.”
Following Sven Botman’s long-awaited return from an ACL injury and the impressive form of left-back Lewis Hall, Kelly’s opportunities could be even more limited over the coming months - and there are now reports the Magpies will consider offers for the former Bournemouth man. The Telegraph’s Luke Edwards has reported United are ‘willing to listen to Fenerbahce’s proposal’ but have rejected an initial offer believed to be worth around £6m.
That comes after Fenerbahce vice-president Acun Ilicah revealed the Super Lig club were keen on a move for Kelly on Tuesday. He said: “We are in talks for Lloyd Kelly transfer. He’s a player we’re interested in. If we can reach an agreement we will transfer this player.”
Kelly is not the only Premier League defender said to be of interest to Fenerbahce as they continue to pursue Aston Villa star Diego Carlos. According to the Daily Mail, Fenerbahce manager Jose Mourinho has placed the former Sevilla centre-back ‘towards the top of the January shopping list’ but the deal is now in danger of collapsing as the Turkish club hesitate over completing the move.