Tottenham Hotspur are now considering a move for AFC Bournemouth defender Lloyd Kelly, with Fabrizio Romano revealing an out of favour player could be used as a makeweight in negotiations…
What’s the latest Tottenham transfer news?
Although another wide forward appears to be Ange Postecoglou’s priority on deadline day, the manager is also keen on strengthening in other areas, with central midfielders still being targeted, including Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher, who could cost over £40m.
In terms of wingers, a move for Ansu Fati is now off the cards, after a hijack from Brighton & Hove Albion, but Brennan Johnson remains Tottenham’s number one target, with Nottingham Forest said to value the Wales international at around £50m.
Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze is being considered as a back-up option for Johnson, but the Eagles’ asking price is likely to be “way too high”, as they could hold out for a fee of over £60m, according to journalist Miguel Delaney.
PSV Eindhoven winger Johan Bakayoko is also “of interest” to Spurs, but they are yet to make an approach for the 20-year-old indicating that Johnson is the more likely arrival on deadline day, even though it may end up being a “very late” deal.
Not only does Postecoglou have new attacking targets in mind, but the manager is also keen on adding another defender to his squad, with a move for a full-back potentially on the agenda, and there has now been a new name thrown into the mix.
In a recent update on X, Romano has reported that Tottenham have been “considering” a move for AFC Bournemouth’s Kelly in the past 24 hours, but they are yet to make a “formal” bid or “concrete” approach to sign the defender.
A deal is likely to hinge upon Spurs getting rid of some unwanted players before the deadline, and Bournemouth would need to replace the 24-year-old, so it may be difficult to orchestrate a move, but they do have one solution in mind.
Eric Dier, who is yet to make an appearance for the Lilywhites this season, could head in the opposite direction, with the out of favour defender acting as a makeweight in the negotiations between the two clubs.
How good is Lloyd Kelly?
Lauded as “incredible” by former manager Gary O’Neil, the £30k-per-week defender is capable of playing at both centre-back and left-back, which would make him a versatile option for Postecoglou, but there are doubts over whether he would be a good signing.
The Englishman does not particularly stand out on any defensive metric, ranking in just the 49th percentile for tackles per 90, and the 29th percentile for interceptions per 90 over the past year, when compared to his positional peers.
Last season, the former Bristol City man averaged a solid, if not spectacular, SofaScore match rating of 6.80 in the Premier League, ranking him as the eighth-best performer in the Bournemouth squad.
However, there are no real indications that Lloyd would be capable of making the step up to a club the size of Tottenham, and so it is a little unusual they are considering a late move, but it could still be one to watch.
