Speaking to the Brazilian press, Chelsea loanee Kenedy has admitted that it would be a ‘pleasure’ to secure a permanent move to Newcastle United – stating it makes him ‘very happy’ to wear the black and white shirt.
The Brazilian has been outstanding ever since arriving on loan from Chelsea in January, smashing the post and winning a penalty on his debut against Burnley, followed by two assists and two great goals in our recent 3-0 win over Southampton.
The Chronicle has since stressed that there is currently no option to secure the 21-year-old on a permanent deal at the end of the season, but based on his comments here, he’s more than happy to stay swap Chelsea blue for black and white.
Here’s what the Brazilian had to say during an interview with UOL in Brazil, with the Chelsea loanee dropping a few big hints that he could see his future at St James’ Park:
“This new phase (of my career) in Newcastle’s shirt makes me very happy.
“It is very difficult for a player to stay out of action for a long time [as has happened at Chelsea], even more difficult to get back into the rhythm of the Premier League.”
Q – Would you like to make the loan deal at Newcastle a permanent one?:
“If it’s good for everyone, it would be a pleasure to continue wearing the shirt of this great team.”
Q – Rafa Benitez influence?:
“He insists that I learn to speak English.
“He acts towards me like a father and I learn a lot from him.”
Q – Would you like to follow the footsteps of Newcastle’s 80s cult hero Mirandinha:
“I did not get a chance to see him play but the stories I heard about him, tell me that he was a great player.
“I will fight to be another Brazilian to have the name remembered at Newcastle just as well.”
So, he wants to stay and Benitez is apparently already keen to secure him permanently. Problem is, that’s only half the battle.
Will Chelsea be willing to sell a young talent whose impressed out on loan? Probably (knowing the way they’re happy to sell their youngsters for a profit), but the biggest question is whether Ashley will fork out the money required to sign him.
A fee of £15m would allegedly be enough to sign him this summer (according to the Mirror), but it wouldn’t surprise me if we’d have to break our current transfer record to sign him.
Great words from Kenedy, however. A brilliant talent who clearly sounds ready to commit to Newcastle United.
