Newcastle transfers: Fabrizio Romano confirms first summer deal as Eddie Howe gets his man

Newcastle United have suffered a few setbacks in their prospective transfer business since the end of the season but when it comes to Lloyd Kelly it seems like the Magpies will get their man.

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano claims that Kelly has agreed to a deal in principle and his signing for the club is now a formality.

As reported by TEAMtalk, Kelly has been a player that Newcastle United have been tracking with a view to enhancing their defence.

Newcastle United lost out on another defensive target despite being close to completing a deal for former Fulham centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo.

The former Bournemouth defender Kelly worked with Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe on the south coast and is a free agent next month once his deal with the Cherries runs its course.

Romano said: “I can confirm that Lloyd Kelly will be a Newcastle player next season, waiting to complete the agreement, but Lloyd Kelly already said yes to Newcastle.

“My information is that in that case, nothing crazy can happen anymore. In the case of Tosin Adarabioyo, the hijack from Chelsea has been completed. We wait for the formal steps, so let’s wait for that as I mentioned with free agents, many things can happen till the end, but the player is ready to say yes to Chelsea.”

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Lloyd Kelly to join Newcastle after injury-plagued spell at Bournemouth

Though Kelly is obviously considered highly by Howe, there are some concerns about the defender’s physical condition.

He has missed 81 games since joining Bournemouth from Bristol City in 2019 due to a variety of hamstring, calf, and muscular problems.

That is not comfortable reading for the Magpies or their fans, especially in light of St. James’ Park’s ongoing injury crisis which has spilled over from the previous season.

Kelly had also been linked with a possible move to either Liverpool or Tottenham, and Newcastle United will likely view his capture as a succesful piece of transfer business.

His relationship with Howe was likely the main driver behind his decision to move to the North East.

The former Bristol City youth player is still just 25-years-old and is considered to be a defender who could blossom into one of the Premier League’s finest over the next couple of seasons.

READ MORE – Fabrizio Romano reveals how Chelsea stunned Newcastle with Adarabioyo transfer steal