Newcastle United Set to Complete Loan Deal for Chelsea Fringe Player

Newcastle United have completed their first bit of January business already, having secured a loan deal to bring in young Chelsea winger Kenedy for the rest of the season.

That is according to the Daily Mail, who report that manager Rafael Benitez is a long-time admirer of the 21-year-old Brazilian, and was close to signing him in the summer, only for Chelsea boss Antonio Conte to block the deal at the last minute.

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Kenedy played a full 90 minutes for the Blues during their 2-1 Carabao Cup win over Bournemouth on Wednesday night, but hasn't featured at all in the Premier League in this campaign. 

Chelsea clearly feel that gaining experience on loan is the best way for Kenedy to take his game to the next level, while Newcastle are in desperate need of players on the left-hand side, meaning that the move appears to make sense for both parties.

Kenedy joined Chelsea from Brazilian team Fluminese in 2015, but struggled to make an immediate impression. He was sent out on loan to Watford a year later, but appeared once for the Hornets after suffering with injuries, and returned to Chelsea only a few months later.

Since then he has been restricted mainly to appearances in cup games, and found himself in trouble during the summer when he was sent home during a pre-season tour of China after posting two 'distasteful' videos on social media.

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Newcastle will be desperately hoping Kenedy can provide a lift to change their recent woeful form. The Toon Army have lost eight of their last nine league games, a run which has seen them drop into the bottom three.

Newcastle fans will be hoping that the signing of Kenedy is the first of many, with Benitez hinting that he wants to add heavily to his squad in January.