Fabrizio Romano confirms Chelsea ‘done deal’

Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that Lewis Hall’s loan move from Chelsea to Newcastle United has been made permanent after performance-related criteria were met.

The 19-year-old has only made 16 appearances in all competitions for Eddie Howe’s side this season, but he has reportedly now joined the club on a permanent deal, as per Romano.

Chelsea will receive €32.7 million (£28m) for Hall, who came through their academy before being loaned to Newcastle last summer.

The loan move included an obligation to buy if Newcastle finished above 15th in the Premier League table, according to reports, and their win over Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday confirmed the Magpies are unable to finish any lower than 14th this season.

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Lewis Hall leaves Chelsea

Hall came through Chelsea’s youth system and he made his debut for the Blues’ senior team in a 5-1 FA Cup win over Chesterfield in January 2022. In doing so, Hall became the youngest ever player to start an FA Cup match for Chelsea.

He then became a fixture at left-back during Frank Lampard’s second spell in charge, with Ben Chilwell and Marc Cucurella struggling for form and fitness at the end of the 2022-23 campaign.

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Despite impressing during his stint in the team last year, Mauricio Pochettino didn’t favour Hall during pre-season and Chelsea decided to loan him to Newcastle with an option to buy in August.

“When recently asked whether Hall was nailed on to join Newcastle on a permanent deal, Howe replied: “Yeah, I think so. That’s why I’m preparing for him to be here long term and I’m delighted with that because he has many qualities that we’re looking for.

“In terms of my thinking, I’m preparing for Lewis to be at Newcastle for many years. He was always brought in with a long-term view, not a short-term signing. He is a long-term signing.

“We have always believed in him and his quality and we have been working really hard with him on his game. He’s a really talented lad.

“He’s got a couple of things to continue working on as all the players have. I believe in him. My vision for him is he will be at Newcastle for many years.”