Chelsea could reportedly still get involved in the race for the transfer of Bournemouth full-back Lloyd Kelly as he also remains a target for Newcastle United, according to Simon Phillips.
Kelly has shone during his time at Bournemouth but is now about to become a free agent as his contract is due to expire, and it seems Chelsea are among the clubs keen to pounce for him this summer.
Still, Phillips claims that Newcastle are still confident of signing Kelly, so it may be that this is too little, too late from Chelsea.
Phillips has made it clear that the Blues have not yet offered a deal to Kelly, but he describes it as a live situation, so things could perhaps change soon.
Kelly transfer: Newcastle to beat Chelsea to free agent?
Overall, it seems Newcastle remain the favourites for this one despite the Chelsea interest, according to Phillips.
“Chelsea are still interested in Kelly, who is also a free agent this summer, as we exclusively reported some months back,” Phillips said.
“I have not yet heard that we have offered him a contract, but it’s still a live situation that Chelsea could still get involved with. However, Newcastle are currently confident of signing Kelly.”
Chelsea could do with strengthening with more proven Premier League players in their squad after a difficult 2023/24 campaign which saw them once again miss out on Champions League qualification.
Kelly can play left-back or centre-back so could add important depth to this CFC squad, though he would perhaps do well to strongly consider a move to St James’ Park instead, as he may get the chance to play more regularly there.
Phillips adds that Tosin Adarabioyo is also a target for both Newcastle and Chelsea, so that could be another intriguing battle to watch between these two clubs.