‘Eye-watering’ asking price blocks Newcastle from signing Kenedy — report

According to the Newcastle-based Chronicle, Chelsea have quoted an “eye-watering” £30m for Kenedy, which will confirm Newcastle not proceeding with their previous plans of turning the 23-year-old’s loan into a permanent stay.

Newcastle made a strong play for Kenedy last season and in the summer as well, and maybe the £30m could’ve been realistic then, but he’s had such a poor campaign that no one’s likely to pay that much for his services anytime soon. He has failed to feature in any of their last three games, making just 23 appearances (14 starts) in the Premier League, collecting one goal and one assist.

In Kenedy’s first half-season at Newcastle, starting in January 2018, it seemed like he had finally found the form that got Chelsea to bet on his talents in the first place, when he was just a youngster playing in Brazil for Fluminense. However, things have not gone in the best direction since and it’s expected that he will return to Chelsea in June to figure out the next step in his career. He has just one year left on his Chelsea contract, and the Blues will likely be looking to cash in. Just don’t expect £30m in return.