Newcastle United are keen to secure Chelsea attacker Kenedy to a permanent deal.

The London Evening Standard says Kenedy has impressed since agreeing to join the club on loan for the rest of the season in January.

The Brazilian has already started more League games for Rafael Benitez's side (six) than in the previous two-and-a-half years he has been at Chelsea (five).

Chelsea rejected Newcastle's request to include an option to buy the 22-year-old, who scored twice against Southampton, as part of the loan negotiations. But Newcastle hope to hold more talks with Chelsea over a transfer.

Chelsea, who paid Fluminense £6.3million for Kenedy in 2015, will want to make a significant profit even if they do sell the Brazilian.