Liverpool are one of four Premier League clubs monitoring the situation of Chelsea teenage prospect Lewis Bate, who is out of contract at Stamford Bridge next month.
The England Under-19 international is yet to put pen to paper on a new deal with the Blues and is attracting interest from a host of Premier League rivals.
West Ham, Leeds and Southampton are among the clubs who are said to hold an interest in Bate’s future, while Liverpool also have their eyes on his situation.
The Blues official website describes the left-footed midfielder as ‘a slight but combative midfield player with an eye for a defence-splitting forward pass’.
Bate has been at Stamford Bridge for a decade and is said to be one of the highest rated teenagers in the club’s academy - which has produced multiple top talents in recent years.
A report in the Daily Mail on Monday has now highlighted the fact that his contractual situation has alerted a number of Premier League clubs to the possibility of signing him.
Whilst Bate is yet to make his senior debut for the club, he has been an unused substitute on three occasions: against Bayern Munich in the Champions League last season and in games against Sheffield United in the Premier League and Barnsley in the FA Cup.
Liverpool are among the clubs who are weighing up a move for the teenager, in a similar deal that took striker Dominic Solanke from Chelsea to Anfield in 2017.
Leeds are said to be offering the pitch of providing a tangible route from youth football to their first-team and this has been illustrated with their captures of Sean McGurk from Wigan and Birmingham's Amari Miller respectively.
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Southampton are another club in the running - the South Coast club have forged a strong reputation for integrating young players into their first-team and developing them.
West Ham are also said to be in the race - a club who would be geographically favourable for Bate, who was born in Sidcup.
Chelsea’s youth system has produced multiple players of Premier League quality in recent years; this summer Fikayo Tomori was sold to Milan following a successful loan spell while Scottish midfielder Billy Gilmour has joined Norwich City on loan.
Defender Marc Guehi has joined Crystal Palace on a five-year deal after impressing on loan at Swansea City last season while Ethan Ampadu, Trevor Chalobah, Conor Gallagher and Lewis Baker have all returned to Stamford Bridge after loan spells away last season.
Tammy Abraham, Mason Mount and Reece James are among the youth graduates who have established themselves in the first-team squad at Stamford Bridge in recent years.
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