Liverpool and Leeds United are among the clubs monitoring the situation of Chelsea whizkid Lewis Bate, whose contract expires next year.
According to a report from Daily Mail, Lewis Bate has emerged as a hot topic in the English market. The Chelsea youngster is facing an uncertain future at Stamford Bridge, with his current contract expiring at the end of next season. It has put a number of Premier League clubs on red alert, including Liverpool and Leeds United.
Bate has appeared reluctant to extend his contract in west London, fueling further speculations over a potential exit in the summer. However, the youngster is not a new face at Cobham, having joined Chelsea back in 2011, at the age of just nine.
The central midfielder has enjoyed swift growth since, gaining his promotion to the Under-18 side in 2019 before being drafted into the reserve team last summer. Bate is yet to make his competitive debut for Chelsea, but he was on the bench twice last season, in Premier League matches against Sheffield United and Burnley.
However, it appears the 18-year-old whizkid is unsure about his prospects at Stamford Bridge. Jorginho and N’Golo Kante have both become indispensable figures in the club’s first-team, with Thomas Tuchel further interested in shoring up his ranks by setting his sights on Atletico Madrid superstar Saul Niguez, who is also a target for Liverpool.
It has put Liverpool on alert, as they hope to bolster their youth options after suffering a mass exodus among its youth players in recent years. One of such players is Ethan Ennis, who is tipped to join Manchester United even though Chelsea were involved in the chase.
Liverpool are trying to fix that problem by bringing in young players, with Kaio Jorge of Santos emerging as a potential target. Lewis Bate should be another excellent option, especially at a time when Jurgen Klopp is desperate to add more depth in the midfield department this summer.
Leeds United might not be a bad option either, though, having had a lot of success in nurturing young talents in recent years. The Whites have a strong and healthy youth department as well, notably bringing in Sean McGurk and Amari Miller this summer.
At the end of the day, Lewis Bate’s future is in his own hands. He can opt to remain another season at Stamford Bridge in an attempt to impress Tuchel. But ideally, the Chelsea whizkid may prefer to move on and join a club like Leeds United ahead of Liverpool as they can give him the platform to shine at the highest level of football next season.
