Chelsea are willing to sell Kenedy this summer.
Kenedy spent the second-half of this past season on-loan at Newcastle United.
The Evening Chronicle says according to sources in the capital, Chelsea may need to offload some of their fringe players in order to raise transfer funds - and Kenedy, who is valued at around £20m, is seen as one of their most-saleable assets.
If Chelsea do slap a £20m price tag on the winger as expected, then United could be priced out of the market - given that Benitez also wants to bring in a frontline striker this summer, and Newcastle are instead likely to push for another loan deal instead.
But no final decision will be made on Kenedy, or indeed the future of any other fringe Chelsea player, until their managerial situation is resolved.