Bournemouth complete £15m transfer of Bristol City defender Lloyd Kelly

BOURNEMOUTH have signed Bristol City defender Lloyd Kelly for a fee of £15million.

SunSport first told you the Robins had agreed a fee to sell the England Under-21 ace.

Bournemouth announced the signing on a long-term deal just hours later.

Kelly’s move rewards two seasons catching the eye of Premier League clubs since breaking into senior football.

He has been called up to England U21s and looks set to play in this summer’s European Championships in San Marino and Italy.

Bristol City have been determined to keep Kelly and make him part of the future at the club but they’ve received an acceptable offer to allow their prize asset to depart.

He said: “It’s a fantastic club. The move has come around quite quickly, but I’m happy to be here and can’t wait to start playing.

“Premier League football is what I’ve always wanted to achieve. I want to play as many games as possible and I feel like this is the right place for me to try and do that.”

Kelly is from Bristol and joined the club as a 13-year-old.

A host of top Premier League clubs had all been linked with him but Bournemouth won the chase.

The Cherries loaned Nathaniel Clyne from Liverpool in January as cover for Simon Francis, who suffered a season-ending injury on Boxing Day.

Kelly, who can also play in the middle, will bolster Eddie Howe’s backline ahead of next season.

The Bournemouth boss said: “Lloyd is an exciting talent and a player of real potential, while at the same time already possessing good experience for someone so young.

“He is athletic, versatile, physically excellent and has a very bright future ahead of him.

“I’m delighted that we have been able to strike so early in the summer and look forward to working with Lloyd during the coming seasons.”

Reuters