9pm: Chelsea midfielder could sign for Liverpool after delaying new Chelsea contract
Chelsea young midfielder Lewis Bate is delaying signing a new Chelsea contract amid interest from several Premier League clubs.
Bate has just one year left on his Chelsea contract and his decision to stall on signing a new deal has alerted Liverpool, West Ham, Leeds and Southampton.
This is according to media outlet Daily Mail.
Bate has been at Chelsea since the age of eight and progressed through the ranks. He is yet to make his debut for the Blues has made the bench three times, against Bayern Munich in the Champions League and last season against Sheffield United in the Premier League and Barnsley in the FA Cup.
Leeds have proved to summer youth signings Wigan’s Sean McGurk and Birmingham’s Amari Miller that they can offer a route to first-team football and will hope that may work in their favour as they target Bate.
West Ham and Southampton are also keen to tempt Bate away from Chelsea while Liverpool have previous having signed Dominic Solanke as a youngster from the Londoners.