Bournemouth beat Liverpool to sign Bristol City left-back Lloyd Kelly for £13m

Bournemouth have beaten Liverpool to the signing of England Under-21 international Lloyd Kelly from Bristol City.

The 20-year-old joins the Cherries for an undisclosed fee, understood to be around £13 million, and has signed a long-term deal at the Vitality Stadium.

Kelly, who can play at left-back as well as central defence, came through the Bristol City youth ranks and made 48 appearances.

“The move has come around quite quickly, but I’m happy to be here and can’t wait to start playing,” Kelly told afcbTV. “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.”

Eddie Howe revealed his delight at the move.

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

“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.”