Chelsea's hopes of landing out-of-contract Manchester United midfielder Angel Gomes this summer have been handed an encouraging boost.
The 19-year-old, who is an England Under-20 international, is out-of-contract at Old Trafford at the end of next month and is yet to put pen to paper on a new deal, with a report by Goal claiming that the club and the youngster are currently at a standstill in United's hopes of tying the creative midfielder down to a new long-term deal.
United, who have beaten Chelsea on three occasions this season, have offered Gomes a new contract but the two parties are yet to reach an agreement, meaning the midfielder could leave Old Trafford for free at the end of June.
This news will be music to the ears of Blues head coach Frank Lampard, as he has been linked with plotting a move for the youngster, who has made just six first-team appearances for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's team this season.
Lampard, of course, is a big believer of promoting youth at Stamford Bridge, with the likes of Mason Mount, Fikayo Tomori and Reece James having all benefited from the former Derby County head coach's new philosophy.
Back in March it was claimed by the Metro that Chelsea were interested in signing Gomes this summer, with United having concerns over the midfelder's height, insisting it could be a problem.
That, though, does not appear to be a concern to Chelsea and Lampard.
Though a deal between United and Gomes seems some way off from being agreed, the attacking-midfielder, who was born in London, did suggest that he was open to the idea of staying at Old Trafford last month.
Gomes, as quoted by the Metro, said: "I’ve seen it over the years, coming up from the academy and being at United my whole career.
"It’s what I want to go on to do – win trophies for the club."
