Newcastle United will need to strengthen their squad this summer after what was an underwhelming season by their standards. Eddie Howe’s squad needs a lot of work. While all of the talk has been about midfielders lately, largely due to Sandro Tonali’s potential exit, there are other positions where the Magpies will also need to bring in reinforcements.
The Newcastle United defence could do with some additions for sure. They conceded 55 goals in the Premier League in the 25/26 season.
Out of the teams which were not relegated, only two conceded more than the Magpies. One of them was Leeds United, who allowed the opposition to find the back of their net 56 times. The other was Tottenham Hotspur, who were one bad result away from relegated and shipped in 57 goals.
That is not a good look for the Magpies. They will need to be better defensively. And it looks like they have their eyes set on one of their former players to ensure that.
Newcastle United looking to sign Juventus defender
According to a report from Football Insider, Newcastle United are currently leading the race to sign Juventus centre-back Lloyd Kelly. Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest are also believed to be interested in him, but the Magpies are believed to be at the front of the queue.
According to the same report, Keith Wyness said about the situation involving Kelly and Newcastle United:
“I think the Howe connection will end up being the key thing. He’s at the right sort of price for Newcastle as well.
“I did make a couple of calls about Kelly, and I think Newcastle is where the deal is at the moment.”
Obviously, Kelly was at Newcastle United before joining Juventus. Before that, he had worked with Howe at Bournemouth as well.
Would Lloyd Kelly be a good signing?
To be honest, it is interesting that Kelly is already being linked with a move away from Juventus. He joined them on a permanent basis just last summer and has a contract until 2029.
Also, let us not overlook the fact that Kelly was a regular starter for Juventus last season. It is not like he went to a top club and was not able to nail down a spot in their team.
So, if Kelly did end up making a return to the Premier League already, it would come as a surprise to many. Never say never in football though, especially when you take into account the financial muscle of clubs from the English top flight.
There is no doubt that someone like Kelly would come in and immediately raise the bar for Newcastle United at the back. But is the move realistic? Or is it another case of the transfer rumour mill linking club with their former players?
