Leeds close in on Chelsea’s Lewis Bate amidst fierce competition

Leeds United look to be closing in on the signing of Chelsea academy project Lewis Bate. A fee has reportedly been agreed with the London club and personal terms currently being discussed, before a medical and official announcement can be announced by the end of the week.

The 18 year old midfielder sparked interest from a number of clubs, including West Ham, Liverpool and Leicester when he - along with team mates Valentino Livramento and Myles Peart-Harris - refused to sign new deals at Stamford Bridge in hope of more regular first team football elsewhere.

Bate then dangled the proverbial carrot on Monday evening when he followed the entire Leeds United squad on Instagram.

Furthermore, despite interest from the aforementioned clubs, Leeds’ swiftness in ironing out a deal has catapulted them into pole position for the England under-19 midfielder’s signature, with a hijack from a Premier League rival now looking increasingly unlikely.

In Bate (take solace from the lack of ‘s’ on the end) Leeds look to be getting a highly intelligent young midfielder. Touted by some within the Chelsea ranks as better than Billy Gilmour when he was 18, his quality on the ball from deep will blend seamlessly into the well-known ‘Kalvin Phillips Role’

Bate featured 20 times in Chelsea’s 2020/2021 Premier League 2 campaign, predominantly in a deep-lying central midfield role, however he featured sporadically in more advanced midfield positions throughout the season.

Despite no first team appearances as of yet, he was an unused substitute on a few occasions over the last two seasons, most notably for a Champions League clash with Bayern Munich.

Should all go to plan, personal terms will be agreed and a medical organised in the next few days, with an official announcement of the signing imminent.