Newcastle United could revive their interest in Bournemouth defender Lloyd Kelly even if the Cherries win promotion back to the Premier League, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The Magpies were linked with a move for the 23-year-old in the January transfer window but opted to sign Dan Burn from Brighton and Hove Albion in a £13 million move instead.

What is the latest news involving Kelly?

New Newcastle manager Eddie Howe signed Kelly for previous club Bournemouth back in 2019, and the pair could be reunited at St. James’ Park in the summer.

According to the Daily Mail, Kelly was identified as a potential target for the North East outfit last month as they looked to bolster their backline.

A formal offer failed to materialise, though, despite moves for Seville’s Diego Carlos and Sven Botman of Lille ending in disappointment for the Newcastle faithful.

However, Football Insider now claim Howe’s charges are ‘laying the groundwork’ to bring Kelly to the club regardless of whether they manage to avoid the drop this season or not.

The former England Under-21 international - who is valued at £9m by Transfermarkt - has caught the eye in 2021/22, playing a pivotal part in Bournemouth’s charge towards the Championship automatic promotion places.

And Kelly could be set to take the next step in his career amid interest from Newcastle, with their new Saudi owners drawing up ambitious plans for the Toon Army.

What has O’Rourke said about Kelly?

With Bournemouth currently second in the second tier and Newcastle hovering above the top-flight relegation zone, the two clubs could swap divisions next season.

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Nevertheless, O’Rourke believes the Magpies will ‘revisit’ the deal to bring Kelly in regardless of the south coast club’s fortunes in the remainder of the campaign.

He told GiveMeSport: “If Bournemouth don't go up, I think Newcastle will revisit that one in the summer and they might even revisit it if Bournemouth do go up.”

Who are Newcastle current centre-back options?

Newcastle have struggled defensively this season, keeping just two clean sheets in their 23 Premier League games to date.

And none of their current centre-back options have excelled, with Jamaal Lascelles, Fabian Schar, Federico Fernandez and Ciaran Clark all outside the top eight performers, as per WhoScored.

Therefore, despite the arrival of Burn, Howe may still feel he needs further reinforcements at the heart of defence ahead of next season in order to progress on the pitch.