Leeds United beat off stiff competition to sign England youth international midfielder Lewis Bate from Chelsea
Leeds United have completed their fifth signing of the summer by recruiting England youth international midfielder Lewis Bate from Chelsea.
The 18-year-old attracted interest from a number of Premier League clubs but has joined Leeds for an undisclosed fee on a three-year deal running until the summer of 2024.
The centre midfielder, capped for both England's under-17s and under-18s, will initially link up with Mark Jackson’s Under-23s for the forthcoming season.
Leeds see the teenager as someone who can become a first team player in the years to come and Bate's arrival follows the summer moves for Junior Firpo, Jack Harrison, Sean McGurk and Amari Miller.
Leeds have reportedly paid around £1.5m to sign the teenager who was credited with interest from the likes of Liverpool, West Ham and Southampton.
Bate has been part of the Chelsea youth setup for the last 10 years and captained the Blues in the 2020 FA Youth Cup final.
The teenager stepped up to Chelsea's under-23s last season and made 20 appearances as the young Blues finished runners-up in Premier League 2 Division 1.
Bate had one year left on his deal at Chelsea who have reportedly secured a sell-on clause in the deal but no buy-back clause.
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Thank you Laura Collins