What it'll take for Leeds to sign Lloyd Kelly with Juventus now ready to reach 'quick agreement'

Leeds United have gained a boost in their hunt to sign Juventus defender Lloyd Kelly this summer.

Leeds were first linked with Kelly, 27, last month as Daniel Farke eyes new additions to his defence following Pascal Struijk's move to Brighton.

Struijk's exit leaves a huge void in Leeds' backline and ex-Bournemouth defender Kelly is someone the Whites are looking at to replace him.

Fresh news from Italy now suggests that Juventus are ready to sell Kelly and have even softened their stance on a deal, which is now looking to be cheaper than the Whites might have initially anticipated.

Kelly was a key player for Juve last term, playing 46 times in all competitions and completing 90 minutes in all but one of their Champions League fixtures.

The Bristolian is now said to be keen on a return to England, though, but Leeds have some work to do if they want to complete a deal.

Juventus to sanction multi-million discount on Lloyd Kelly deal

TuttoJuve reported on Saturday that Leeds, Aston Villa and Everton are all keen on signing Kelly in this transfer window, which is said to open the door to a "quick agreement" for Juventus.

The TuttoMercatoWeb affiliate claims the centre-back is keen to return to England one year after joining them permanently from Newcastle United, following an initial loan spell.

Juventus are also prepared to sell the former England Under-21 international for £25.7million - £4.2m less than what they originally valued him at (£29.9m).

The Serie A giants are currently "awaiting the right offer", but based on this report, it seems like a matter of when, and not if, the former Newcastle man returns to England.

What Eddie Howe has said about his former defender

Newcastle manager Eddie Howe is undoubtedly a fan of Kelly, having signed him at both Bournemouth and Newcastle.

In 2019, he paid £13m on signing him from Bristol City, saying at the time that he's "athletic, versatile, physically excellent with a very bright future ahead of him".

A year later, Howe said: "His career is out in front of him. If he can stay free from injury then he can achieve so many great things.”

Kelly has had his injury problems, that is true.

However, the majority of his issues centred around his ankle and calf during his time at Bournemouth and since moving to Juventus, he's stayed relatively injury-free.

Leeds will want to avoid signing someone who'll spend more time in the medical room than on the training pitches at Thorp Arch.

However, recent evidence suggests Kelly is at the peak of his fitness and, on top of that, he's available for a reduce price, has gained invaluable experience at Juve and could be a really good replacement for Struijk this summer.