Mega-rich Premier League outfit Newcastle United will struggle to complete a deal for AFC Bournemouth defender Lloyd Kelly this month, according to Daily Mail journalist Craig Hope.

Kelly is a player that Magpies manager Eddie Howe rates highly, having signed him for the Cherries when he was manager there in 2019 from Bristol City.

The 23-year-old appears to be on the shortlist at St. James' Park as Howe looks to bolster a number of positions in order to stave off the threat of relegation from the top flight.

But with Bournemouth in a strong position themselves to get back to the Premier League this season under Scott Parker, they do not want to sell Kelly, according to Hope.

Kelly has played 20 times in the Championship this season and has captained the south coast club on a number of occasions.

West Ham United are also interested in Kelly as they go through a defensive injury crisis, but it will take an extraordinary offer for Parker's side to part company with the centre-back halfway through the season, per the Daily Mail.

The Verdict

Bournemouth have a big decision to make this month amid the interest in Kelly.

What is worth more to them - keeping a key part of their defence around in the hope that they win promotion or cashing in on him and perhaps replacing him with someone else?

Kelly provides a lot of balance to the back-line with being left-footed and Scott Parker clearly likes him a lot to put the captain's armband on him more often than not.

Newcastle's riches could be a real head-turner for Kelly though but it's up to Bournemouth if they decide to cash in and not the player at the end of the day.