Aston Villa Battling Newcastle to Sign 'Incredible' LLoyd Kelly

He studied journalism at the University of South Wales and published a football book, named Bluebird Heaven, around the same time with Pitch Publishing.

Since then, Jamie has continued to specialise in football journalism, PR and football-related Spanish translation. He has worked with a number of media companies, including Reach PCL, Iconic Group and many more over a decade-long career. Sign in to your GiveMeSport account Aston Villa are being linked with a Serie A centre-back as they look to bolster their defensive options this summer. Unai Emery will prepare his men for a Champions League campaign this summer after an impressive Premier League campaign of last.

The Villains will be looking to put together a solid run in the Champions League while also continuing to progress in the Premier League, with the ultimate goal of becoming a title contender.

Villa are not there yet, and likely won't be there for a little while yet, but the Midlands side are certainly trending in the right direction, and the Europa League title was a good example of that.

This summer will be a combination of adding strength and depth for Emery, with the latter particularly important for a Champions League campaign. And one position that lacks depth at Villa Park is the centre-back spot.

Ezri Konsa, Pau Torres, Victor Lindelof and Tyrone Mings are the current options, but four is likely not enough, while Mings is now 33 years of age, and both he and Lindelof have just one year remaining on their respective deals.

Villa need to get ahead of that situation and snap up another player in that position, and according to TuttoJuve, Villa are one of the clubs interested in a deal for 'incredible' centre-back Lloyd Kelly.

Kelly has been with Juve since the winter of 2025 for all intents and purposes, although the first few months were a part of a loan deal. In all, Juventus paid €20m to land Kelly, but while he is valued as a starter by head coach Luciano Spalletti, it is being reported that the Italian club want to cash in.

Spalletti has said of Kelly: “He’s a very strong player who uses a low percentage of his potential. He’s great at passing the ball and has a powerful left foot that can even take freekicks. He’s a complete player”

The Old Lady have a pretty high turnover of players due to how they manage finances, and Kelly could get swept up in that amid reported interest from back home.

Villa, Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest are all said to be interested this summer. It's reported Juventus want around €35m for Kelly this summer, which is around £30.2million, as they bid for a €15m profit.

That's a pricey deal in some regards, but with Kelly just coming into his prime at 27, Villa may feel as though it's an affordable deal to add a centre-back who has Champions League and Premier League experience this summer. Kelly joined Juventus from Newcastle, but he wasn't given much of an opportunity there in the first place, so a return may be something he questions, and he is also from Bristol, which may give the Midlands clubs a slight advantage.

The wages of every Aston Villa player have been revealed.