Fresh Newcastle United news of the departure emerged during the January transfer window, with the £150,000-a-week first-team player looking to seal his departure from the club.
Newcastle transfer news
The Magpies are still smarting from a 4-1 defeat at home to Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday, in a result that saw their momentum emphatically stalled. It was a reality check Eddie Howe and his players, but there’s also no need for it to lead to an overreaction given their incredible form before.
As for the Newcastle transfer news, the Botafogo winger Luiz Henrique has been linked with a move to St James’ Park, seen as an upgrade on Jacob Murphy on the right wing. Since Miguel Almiron will also leave this month, reinforcements in that part of the field are necessary.
Galatasaray wide man Baris Yilmaz is another player who has been thrown into the mix as a possible addition for the Magpies, alongside the 24-year-old scoring 10 goals in just 17 Turkish Super League starts this season, shining on both the left and right flanks.
At the back, Howe could also look for fresh faces, amid injuries and aging players, and the highly-rated Sporting CP defender Ousmane Diomande he received support to move to Newcastle. They tried to snap him up in the summer transfer window last year, but his £67m release clause proved too high a price at the time.
Newcastle’s summer signing is looking to leave this month
According to Boot room, Lloyd Kelly wants to leave Newcastle in Januaryafter he “grew frustrated” at the club, coming in as one of Paul Mitchell’s only signings in 2024. There is interest from Fenerbahce and Juventus, the latter of which saw an approach rejected, and “intermediaries believe a deal is possible” if offered an offer of around £25m.
It’s understandable why Kelly doesn’t feel happy at Newcastle at the moment, given that he is he started only four times in the Premier League this season, and a total of only nine appearances in the competition. The likes of Fabian Schar and Dan Burn have simply taken his fancy, as has Sven Botman since his return from injury, meaning his career at the Magpies has had a rocky start.
However, it would be a risk for Newcastle to let Kelly leave this month, as it would affect their squad depth between now and the end of the season. The Englishman can shine both as a center back and as a left back, so his versatility would be a real loss.
However, assuming the former Bournemouth man’s lack of activity continues in the coming months, a decision on his future needs to be made at the end of the current campaign.
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The £150,000 a week Kelly is under contract at St James until the summer of 2029, so if Howe doesn’t see him as a key player moving forward, Newcastle could still get good money for him, and the length of his deal puts them in a strong negotiating position to make a nice profit after his free transfer signed last summer.
