Juventus are reportedly considering strengthening their defence with a surprise move for Newcastle United outcast Lloyd Kelly.
Juventus have opened discussions with the Magpies to see if they can bring the English defender to Italy, according to Gianluca DiMarzio.
Kelly made the switch to the Northeast of England in the summer following the expiration of his contract at Bournemouth but has struggled for game time.
Despite being able to play in the middle and left of defence, Kelly has found himself behind Lewis Hall, Dan Burn, Fabian Schar in the pecking order.
The return from injury of Sven Botman appears to have only diminished the defender’s hopes of breaking into Eddie Howe’s starting eleven even further.
Kelly is admired by Cristiano Giuntoli, the Juventus sporting director, and the Italian giants have tested Newcastle’s resolve with an opening €12 million (£10.1m/$12.3m) bid.
Despite joining the club for no transfer fee, the offer has been rebuffed by the Magpies, who want closer to €20 million (£16.8m/$20.5m) to allow the back-up defender to depart the club in January.
Juventus may come in with another offer as Thiago Motta looks to add depth to his defensive options.
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Newcastle rejected an offer from Fenerbahce for the services of Kelly last week and are reluctant to let him leave. Juventus may have to agree to the Magpies’ higher asking price if they are to secure the defender.
Their interest in Kelly comes amid news that their chances of signing AC Milan’s Fikayo Tomori appear slim.
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Kelly has not agitated for a move away from St. James’ Park just yet and will be hoping he can still make an impact at the club.
The Magpies travel to Southampton next weekend looking to bounce back from a shock 4-1 thrashing to Kelly’s former club Bournemouth on Saturday.
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