Leeds complete signing of Chelsea starlet Lewis Bate as England youth international puts pen to paper on three-year deal following £1.5m switch to Elland Road
- Leeds have completed the signing of Chelsea starlet Lewis Bate for £1.5million
- The 18-year-old midfielder has agreed a three-year deal to switch to Elland Road
- The Yorkshire club have beaten a host of Premier League rivals to the starlet
Leeds have completed the signing of Lewis Bate from Chelsea, making him their fifth summer addition.
England youth international midfielder Bate has signed a three-year deal after travelling to Leeds yesterday to finalise his move and undergo a medical.
Official confirmation of his arrival was announced at 10am on Thursday morning. The club tweeted: ‘#LUFC are pleased to announce the signing of Lewis Bate from Chelsea’ alongside a photo of the youngster holding a Leeds shirt.
Leeds United have completed the signing of Lewis Bate from Chelsea on a three-year deal
The 18-year-old midfielder finalised terms on Wednesday and was announced this morning
Leeds are set to pay £1.5m plus add-ons for the 18 year-old. Chelsea have also secured a sell-on clause in the agreement though no buy-back clause.
Mailonline revealed on Monday that Bate was subject of interest from a number of Chelsea’s Premier League rivals, including Leeds.
Leeds emerged as frontrunners as talks progressed quickly, ahead of the likes of Liverpool, West Ham and Southampton who had also spoken to Chelsea about a deal.
England youth international Bate becomes Marcelo Bielsa’s fifth arrival this summer window
Bate, who has been at Chelsea since he was eight, had one year left on his Chelsea deal but opted against signing a new one due to concerns about his potential pathway to first-team football.
He will initially be part of Mark Jackson’s under-23 setup but Leeds have convinced Bate that Elland Road is the best place for the next stage of his career due to their track record of progressing players into the first team from their youth sides.
Bate joins left-back Junior Firpo, winger Jack Harrison, attacking midfielder Shaun McGurk and winger Amari Miller as a new arrival at Leeds during this window.