Turkish club Fenerbahce are set to sign a Premier League defender – and it’s not Newcastle United’s Lloyd Kelly.
Last week, Fenerbahce made a bid for Kelly that was promptly rejected by Newcastle.
Fenerbahce vice-president Acun Ilicah then went public with the club’s interest in the 26-year-old by stating: “We are in talks for Lloyd Kelly transfer. He’s a player we’re interested in. If we can reach an agreement we will transfer this player.”
The statement is understood to have frustrated Newcastle, with head coach Eddie Howe hitting out at the Turkish Super Lig side for fuelling the transfer narrative.
“Whatever rumours you’re hearing, are club-driven from Fenerbahce, not from the player,” Howe said. “So I want to make that very clear.”
Kelly joined Newcastle on a free transfer last summer, signing a five-year deal at the club with Howe insisting he remains an important part of his squad.
And Fenerbahce have quickly moved on to agree an £8.5million deal with Aston Villa for defender Diego Carlos as an alternative to Kelly. The 31-year-old was previously heavily linked with a move to Newcastle during the January 2022 transfer window but the club opted to be patient and move for Sven Botman the following summer instead.
Carlos has made 58 appearances for Villa since joining the club from Sevilla for a reported £26million, scoring once.
According to Fabrizio Romano, the Brazilian’s move to Fenerbahce has reached the ‘here we go’ stage with the defender set to fly to Turkey on Monday.
Romano posted: “Diego Carlos to Fenerbahçe, here we go! Deal in place with Aston Villa as Brazilian defender will fly to Istanbul tonight [Monday, January 20] . Transfer fee expected to be in excess of €10m with Aston Villa keen on Loïc Badé as replacement.”
Although Kelly’s move to Fenerbahce appears to be off, Serie A side Juventus have since made a proposal to sign the defender. An initial loan offer was rejected by Newcastle but the Turin club are set to return with an new offer.
