It’s fair to say that the 2024-25 campaign didn’t quite pan out for Lloyd Kelly like he and many Newcastle fans probably expected.

Signed on a free from Bournemouth, he struggled to break into our starting XI and only made four Premier League starts for the Magpies.

But a surprise loan move to Juventus in January, which was later made permanent for a figure between £15-20m, gave us some instant profit.

Though Kelly’s endured a torrid time in Turin since his arrival, and could be on the verge on making a very surprising return to the Premier League just six months later, and it’s certain to divide Newcastle fans…

Sunderland make surprise Kelly move?

According to Italian outlet Gazetta dello Sport, Sunderland have reportedly made an inquiry into signing Lloyd Kelly this summer, with Juventus valuing the former Toon defender at £17m.

The Italian giants are keen to make another big sale, as it will be needed to help them permanently sign Randal Kolo Muani.

It won’t be a simple deal for the Mackems, however, with Wolves also showing interest in the versatile defender who only spent half a season on Tyneside.

Kelly most recently appeared for Juventus during their Club World Cup campaign, but he has failed to live up to manager Igor Tudor’s high expectations.

The 26-year-old has received his fair share of criticism during his time at the club, particularly during their shock Champions League exit at the hands of PSV. With another UCL campaign ahead for the Bianconeri, all signs right now point to Kelly not being part of it.

Solid recruitment from Sunderland – but a reminder why we sold?

It’s been an interesting transfer window on Wearside, as Sunderland have built almost an entirely new team ahead of their return to the top flight.

There’s been some big, risky signings like Granit Xhaka and Simon Adingra, who they’ll need to perform if they want to stand any chance of survival.

Adding Lloyd Kelly to the fray is another bold move from Sunderland: he has strong Premier League experience, and is notably versatile at both centre-back and full-back.

However, it’s looking more and more like we made the right decision back in January to offload Kelly whilst we could, as his career trajectory unfortunately hasn’t hit the heights many will have hoped he would hit.

Where he could have been playing Champions League football for us this season, he’s perhaps better suited to the impending relegation battle ahead of him at the Stadium of Light.