Tottenham Hotspur may miss out on their transfer target who is set to be out of contract this summer.
Bournemouth defender Lloyd Kelly is reportedly close to joining Newcastle United as a free agent, despite interest from Spurs.
Recent reports suggest that Newcastle have reached a verbal agreement with the English centre-back.
Lloyd Kelly to Newcastle: What’s the hiccup?
According to The Mail’s Craig Hope, negotiations between Newcastle and Kelly are still ongoing, with discussions surrounding agent fees posing a significant hurdle in finalising the deal.
He reports that talks between Kelly and Newcastle are in progress, albeit hindered by disagreements over agent fees.
The size of the agent fee remains a point of contention, contributing to the delay in concluding the transfer.
Newcastle are reluctant to succumb to the inflated agent fees, despite the financial appeal of signing Kelly on a free transfer.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, he said :
“I’ve just got a little whisper that he might be leading towards a move to St James’ Park. For Lloyd Kelly, there’s been noises for a while now about this one being close.
“We believe talks are ongoing, but there is an issue over the size of the agent fee. The dilemma Newcastle have got it, you’re getting a player for ‘free’, but do you want to be held to ransom or pay an inflated agent fee, even if the absence of a transfer fee makes sense financially? That is the hold up at the moment, I’m told.”
Tottenham would certainly hope that the deal with Newcastle does not materialise, as they could then seize the opportunity to secure Lloyd Kelly’s signature.
However, it appears so that the player himself is more inclined towards a move to Newcastle. His preference for Newcastle could stem from the prospect of receiving more playing time with the Magpies, considering the competition for places in Tottenham’s defence, which includes established names like Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, and Radu Dragusin.