Leeds United make move to sign Chelsea midfielder Lewis Bate
Leeds United have “expressed an interest” in signing 18-year-old Chelsea midfielder Lewis Bate, according to the Daily Mail.
The British news outlet claims the Whites are battling Liverpool, West Ham and Southampton for the Englishman who is yet to pen extended terms to his Blues deal that runs out in 2022.
Leeds are said to hope that their offer of an easier route to first-team football can persuade Bate to make the move to Ellan Road, after outlining similar proposals to Sean McGurk [Wigan Athletic] and Amari Miller [Birmingham City], who they signed this summer.
Keep ’em coming
McGurk was the latest Under-23s recruit after Miller become Mark Jackson’s first signing earlier this summer, as the Whites second-string look to make their mark on the Premier League 2 following last season’s division two title success.
Bate has more experience than the pair of them, having been named on the bench for a Champions League tie against Bayern Munich in 2020, and Frank Lampard alluded to his “real potential” in January [football.london], but he would be expected to link up with McGurk and Miller at Thorp Arch.
It’s been no secret that Marcelo Bielsa and Victor Orta are perusing the market for a new midfielder this summer, following the exit of fan favourite Pablo Hernandez.
But it’s surely too early to consider Bate as a first-team candidate, given his inexperience on the pitch at senior level.
Instead, they will hope to convince him that their pathway to the top is the best, and there are a few examples to point to already.
Pascal Struijk and Illan Meslier both cemented themselves in the Whites team last season after playing for the Under-23 side, and Bate will hope to do exactly the same if he moves to West Yorkshire.
In other Leeds United news, a talkSPORT pundit has shared this Kalvin Phillips concern live on-air.