Bournemouth defender Lloyd Kelly is expected to join Newcastle United after reaching an agreement on the transfer.
According to Daily Mail, the Magpies have wasted no time in making their first summer signing and Kelly is expected to join the club.
After the season finished four days ago, Eddie Howe has already made the first move of the summer transfer window.
The 25-year-old made the announcement this week that he will be leaving the Cherries when his contract expires in the summer.
With 141 games and three goals in five seasons for Cherries, Kelly joined the club in a £13 million move.
The report mentions that Kelly will not be their only defensive signing as the Magpies are also making a move for Fulham’s Tosin Adarabioyo.
The defensive duo Kelly and Adarabioyo, who are set to become free agents once their contracts at Bournemouth and Fulham expire, respectively, are targets for the Toon Army.
Newcastle are hoping to strengthen their defensive options in the summer after Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles sustained long-term injuries.
With his St. James’ Park contract scheduled to expire next month, Paul Dummett faces an unclear future.
Kelly, who was originally signed by Howe for Bournemouth from Bristol City in 2019, can play at left back or centre-back.
Signing Kelly makes sense for Newcastle United
His versatility and the fact that he is a free agent played a huge role in the Magpies chasing the defender.
Howe knows Kelly from his time at Bournemouth, which made the the move smooth as the defender was also attracting interest from other clubs.
Newcastle United’s season was badly affected by an injury crisis at the club and Howe has now made the first move to add depth to his squad ahead of next season.
The Magpies manager will be hoping to take his team back to the Champions League again after a disappointing 2023-24 season.