A 50:50 image. On the left is Everton manager David Moyes smiling. On the right is Lloyd Kelly in a Juventus kit celebrating a goal in Serie A.

David Moyes is looking to sign Lloyd Kelly from Juventus.Imago

Why Lloyd Kelly is 'increasingly close' to Everton transfer after £4.2m Juventus acceptance

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Published on:

04 Jul 2026, 5:08 pm

Former Newcastle United defender Lloyd Kelly is closing in on a return to the Premier League amid interest from Everton.

Aston Villa and Leeds United are also reportedly keen on the 27-year-old centre-back, who joined Juventus permanently from Newcastle last summer.

Everton completed their first new signing of the summer earlier this week when they signed Hayden Hackney from Middlesbrough in a deal worth up to £25million.

And the Blues could now double their 2026 summer spend with Juventus reportedly prepared to accept a £25.7m fee for Kelly - down from the £29.9m they originally valued him at.

Kelly was a vital player for Juventus last season as they finished sixth in Serie A and reached the Champions League knock-out play-offs.

He played 46 times in all competitions for the Turin giants, but he may have already starred for the final time for them with a move to England "increasingly close".

Juventus' stance on Lloyd Kelly agreement revealed

According to Italian news outlet TuttoJuve on Saturday, Juventus are so willing to sell Kelly that they've now reduced their demands for a sale.

It is understood that his future "appears increasingly distant" from Juve with the Serie A club's management "ready to listen to offers" so that they can reinvest any funds made from selling him to improve other areas of the squad.

Juventus want to avoid a transfer saga and in order to reach a speedy deal, they've opened the door to him joining Everton.

Aston Villa and Leeds are also reportedly keen and have money to spend this summer.

Kelly's a player who's well known on these shores for his time at Bristol City,

And some old quotes about his development earlier in his career should give Evertonians hope about how good a deal this could be for their team.

Everton transfer round-up: Raoul Bellanova latest, goalkeeper wanted elsewhere

What Kelly's coaches have said about him

Kelly's career has seen him play for Bristol City, Bournemouth, Newcastle and Juventus.

Eddie Howe signed him at the Cherries and the Magpies, but it was Lee Johnson who gave the ex-England Under-21s centre-back at Ashon Gt

Speaking about Kelly during his time in the Championship, Johnson said: "Physically in the Championship, Lloydy is 6ft 3in, but he looks a bit slight.

“But if you see him at his own level he looks an absolute beast.

"That athleticism, his height, and even his chest now – we have spent a lot of money making sure he gets the right nutrition and the right supplements and you can really see that coming to fruition now."

Kelly's physique has also impressed Juventus manager Luciano Spalletti, who said last year he's "an incredibly strong player”.

Lloyd Kelly