Bournemouth may face a battle to keep hold of 24-year-old defender Lloyd Kelly on transfer deadline day with Tottenham Hotspur reportedly considering a move for the Englishman.
Fabrizio Romano claimed yesterday that there had been no formal bid as of yet as Spurs need players to leave before making further additions, however, Ange Postecoglu’s side have identified Kelly as a target.
Out-of-favour defender Eric Dier could possibly be offered as part of the deal, something that may sweeten the blow for the Cherries should they lose their man.
Bournemouth would need to replace Kelly, so no deal would be straightforward, especially if Dier is not of interest to Andoni Iraola.
The Cherries signed the defender from Bristol City for £12million back in 2019 when he was just 20 years old. Four years later, he has made 119 appearances and scored twice alongside seven assists.
From Kelly’s batch of appearances, 79 were in the Championship. He was an instrumental part of their promotion back to the Premier League and has proven his worth in the top flight since their return.
Tottenham are in need of defensive cover, so Kelly’s ability to play as a centre-back or left-back will appeal to them. They are set to lose left-back Sergio Reguilon on loan to Manchester United, whereas the previously mentioned Dier is deemed surplus to requirements at centre-back.
Kelly leaving could be a problem
If Bournemouth were to lose the versatile defender, they would be left with just three centre-backs in Marcos Senesi, Ilya Zabarnyi and Chris Mepham. At left-back, the Cherries would be solely dependant on Milos Kerkez.
It goes without saying that it would be crucial for replacements to be bought in, but with time running out it will surely make this deal more complicated to complete.
Only time will tell with this one.