Leeds United have completed the signing of Chelsea midfielder Lewis Bate, signing a three-year deal with the Peacocks. U19 England international has been with the academy of the Blues since 2011 and has risen through the youth ranks at an excellent rate.
Bate went on to play 29 games for Chelsea’s U18 team, scoring six goals and registering five assists. Lewis also went on to feature 25 times for Chelsea’s reserve team.
However, the 18-year-old midfielder has never played a first-team game for the Blues, although the footballer did make it to the bench on three occasions.
The English midfielder had entered the final year of his deal with the Blues, who had offered him an extension on the contract. However, Lewis turned down the contract as he sought a quicker pathway to the first-team, which would not be forthcoming at the London club.
Indeed, the likes of Jorginho, Kante, Kovacic are the top choices for the German boss, with Gallagher, Gilmour, Loftus-Cheek all alternatives for the future. So, it would have been difficult for Lewis to break into the first team at the London club in the immediate sense.
So, Bate has now completed a transfer to Leeds United. Lewis is Leeds United’s fifth signing of this summer transfer window, following the arrivals of Junior Firpo, Jack Harrison, Sean McGurk and Amari Miller.
The Athletic confirmed that the English midfielder attracted strong interest from several teams in Premier League, including Liverpool, Leicester City, West Ham United and Brighton, but the Peacocks have beaten them to the punch.
Lewis has signed a three-year contract with the Peacocks. Journalist Simon Johnson has claimed that the Whites will pay £1.5m plus add-ons for the talented midfielder.
Several other teenagers could be on their way out from the London club following Lewis, with Tino Livramento, Dynel Simeu and Myles Peart-Harris, all of whom have turned down new deals at Chelsea while Marc Guehi has left for Crystal Palace.
Bate has also won caps at youth level for the Three Lions at both U17 and U18 levels. Lewis becomes the Peacocks’ fifth addition of the summer transfer window, following the arrivals of Junior Firpo, Jack Harrison, Sean McGurk and Amari Miller.
Last campaign, the Englishman stepped up to U23s football, playing 20 games as the Blues finished runners-up in Premier League 2 Division 1. Bate will initially link up with Mark Jackson’s U23s for the forthcoming campaign.
