The first major transfer of the summer involving Newcastle United had been made official.
Lloyd Kelly has officially completed a permanent switch from Newcastle to Juventus today (June 30) following an initial loan spell.
The 26-year-old defender joined Juventus on loan during the winter transfer window in a deal that included an obligation to buy based on performance-related criteria.
As revealed by The Gazette, the performance-related criteria were met during the 2024/25 season, which obligated Juventus to make the transfer permanent.
Newcastle later confirmed the transfer when publishing its retained list, stating Kelly would officially become a Juventus player on June 30. The defender is currently away with the Serie A side at the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States and is preparing to face Real Madrid in the last-16 of the competition on Tuesday (8pm kick-off).
How much will Juventus pay Newcastle United for Lloyd Kelly?
While Newcastle’s transfer activity has been slow over the past couple of seasons, the transfer of Kelly has been a real highlight from a financial perspective.
The Magpies signed Kelly on a free transfer last summer. Although he was a high earner and made just four Premier League starts for Newcastle, the club were able to loan him out to Juventus for a fee with significant return potential.
The initial £2.5million loan fee has now increased to a total transfer fee of up to £19.9million paid to Newcastle for Kelly. Not bad business for a player they signed for free and started just four times in the league.
The Gazette has launched a new WhatsApp NUFC channel to bring the latest news, analysis and team & injury updates directly to your phone.Simply click this linkto join our NUFC WhatsApp channel.
Juventus have broken down the fee paid to Newcastle for Kelly with an official document stating the total transfer fee would be ‘€17.5 million (approx £14.5m), plus additional costs’. A further £5.4million in add-ons will be paid over the duration of Kelly’s contract.
Kelly and Juventus could face Newcastle in next season’s Champions League with the draw set to be made at the end of August. But the Italian media have suggested that Kelly’s move to Juventus could prove to be less permanent than anticipated.
Italian media tease Lloyd Kelly transfer exit
Kelly’s loan spell at Juventus was a divisive one with various reports from Italy casting doubt over the possibility of making the deal permanent.
Even now that the transfer has been made official, the Italian media have suggested Kelly may not be a Juventus player next season.
La Gazzetta dello Sport journalist Giovanni Albanese has claimed that Juventus are ‘ready to put Kelly back on the transfer market’ and are considering exit options for the player, having not been convinced by his loan spell.
But Kelly has been a regular in the Juventus side since his arrival on loan, starting 17 of a possible 19 matches for the club including all three Club World Cup group stage games. It appears he is part of Igor Tudor’s plans heading into the new season, even if reports from Italy suggest otherwise.
And now Newcastle have officially received a cash injection heading into the new PSR financial year, hopefully now they can start bringing some players into the club.
Continue Reading