Lloyd Kelly has joined Juventus on loan for the remainder of the season with the option for the Serie A side to sign the defender for £20million.
The 27-year-old only joined the Magpies on a free transfer from Bournemouth in June but has failed to break into Newcastle manager Eddie Howe’s first team and has made just four Premier League starts.
Sporting director Paul Mitchell and the Newcastle hierarchy are keen to improve the club’s PSR situation situation ahead of what is expected to be a busy close-season – and the removal of Kelly’s wages are a step towards that.
Kelly’s salary was said to be generous given he arrived on a free, and that has also been factored into Newcastle’s thinking.
Kelly could make his debut for Juventus as soon as Friday when Thiago Motta’s side travel to Como.
Newcastle have kept their powder dry in the January transfer window as they plan to get their business done next summer.
Newcastle defender Lloyd Kelly has joined Juventus on loan for the remainder of the season
He failed to break into Newcastle’s first team after joining on a free transfer from Bournemouth
They hope the depature of Kelly and Miguel Almiron, who joined Atlanta United for £10m, will give them a greater chance of keeping stars such as Alexander Isak, Bruno Guimaraes and Anthony Gordon beyond this season.
The flip side of that argument is that, by strengthening now, Howe and his team would be better placed to qualify for the Champions League.
Those hopes were took a hit during Saturday’s 2-1 home loss by Fulham, a match in which Howe’s options from the bench were limited and the depth of the squad was exposed.
