Newcastle United are reportedly closing in on the signing of Bournemouth defender Lloyd Kelly.
The 25-year-old will officially become a free agent when his Bournemouth contract expires on June 30, with the Cherries confirming his exit following the conclusion of the 2023-24 campaign.
Newcastle have stepped up their pursuit of Kelly after losing out in the race to sign Tosin Adarabioyo, who has agreed to join Chelsea on a free transfer when his Fulham contract expires.
The Magpies have faced competition from clubs abroad in the race for Kelly, with Serie A duo Juventus and AC Milan both being credited with an interest.
However, it now seems that Kelly has made the decision to reunite with Newcastle manager Eddie Howe, who signed the defender as Bournemouth boss in 2019 for a reported £13m from Bristol City.
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Newcastle to sign Kelly on five-year deal
According to multiple reports, including one from The Athletic, Newcastle have agreed a five-year contract with Kelly, which includes an option to extend by 12 months.
There is a full agreement between all parties and the defender is expected to undergo a medical and sign his deal at some stage this week ahead of officially joining the Magpies on July 1.
Kelly is set to become Newcastle's second signing of the summer transfer window after Lewis Hall, who is soon expected to have his permanent switch to St James' Park confirmed after spending last season on loan from Chelsea.
The expected arrival of Kelly will coincide with the departures of left-sided duo Paul Dummett and Matt Ritchie, who will be leaving Newcastle upon the expiration of their contracts at the end of this month.
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Newcastle seeking defensive reinforcements amid injury woes
After two years in the senior team at boyhood club Bristol City, Kelly has since spent the last five seasons at Bournemouth and has made 141 appearances across all competitions.
Kelly was part of the Cherries side that secured automatic promotion from the Championship in 2021-22 - being named in the division's Team of the Season - and has since helped the club established themselves as a Premier League regular.
Comfortable operating at either left-back or centre-back, Kelly was reduced to 23 top-flight appearances last season due to injury as Bournemouth secured a 12th-placed finish in their first campaign under head coach Andoni Iraola.
Newcastle will hope that Kelly can shake off his injury issues as they are signing the defender amid their own injury concerns within Howe's senior squad, most notably Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles who are sidelined for several months with ACL injuries.
Meanwhile, Newcastle have reportedly held talks with Burnley over the signing of goalkeeper James Trafford, who is valued between £15m and £20m by the Clarets.
Oliver Thomas
