Lloyd Kelly fears eased for Newcastle United

Lloyd Kelly is fast becoming one of the most interesting bits of business that Newcastle have conducted since the Saudi takeover.

Brought in on a free last summer, the former Bournemouth man made the loan-to-buy switch to the black and white of Juventus just a few months later.

And as things stand, it’s shaping up to be an excellent bit of business for us, just as long as Juventus can meet one condition…

What’s the situation at Juventus?

Having replaced Thiago Motta with Igor Tudor a few weeks ago, the Biaconeri have won three of their last five games.

The most recent win, 2-0 at home against Monza, has propelled Juventus back into the top four in Italy, which like our own race for Champions League football, is looking like it’s going down to the wire.

Of these five fixtures under Tudor, Kelly has played 90 minutes in all but one of the games, and has kept two clean sheets in the process.

Compared to Kelly’s performances when he arrived and played under Motta, it’s looking like the 26-year-old is finally settled and finding some form in Turin.

However, Juventus are in a difficult situation financially, and in a normal arrangement, it’s unlikely they would pay the £20m fee attached to Kelly’s loan deal.

But Kelly’s contract and potential transfer isn’t conditional in terms of games played, but instead concerns Juventus qualifying for Europe - something which they’re current projected to do.

How can Newcastle secure that £20m fee?

Should Juventus qualify for any one of the Champions League, Europa League, or Conference League, they will trigger the obligation to buy Kelly from us, according to reports in Italy.

An instant £20m profit in less than a year would go immensely far for us in terms of generating funds for the summer.

However, even if his performances under Eddie Howe left a lot to be desired, could we potentially offer him a second chance to prove himself and showcase similar promising displays in our black and white kit instead.

It’s no secret that a new centre back is high on the list of transfer priorities, but could the return of Kelly also bring that down in terms of importance and allow us to focus our efforts on the likes of right wing and striker instead?

Roma and Bologna are in fine form in Italy, with Lazio and Fiorentina likewise right behind Juventus in the table, so whilst we root for our lads to do the business in the run in, many fans will also be cheering for Juventus to do the same.