Chelsea are selling off the crown jewels of their academy this summer, with Lewis Bate set to be the next youngster to leave the club in search of regular Premier League football.
He’s off to Leeds according to the latest reports, and today Nizaar Kinsella of Goal.com revealed further details about the move, which should apparently take place tonight.
Leeds will pay around £1.5m for Bate but there's add-ons and a sell on fee percentage due for Chelsea too #CFC
— Nizaar Kinsella (@NizaarKinsella) July 21, 2021
Leeds will pay only £1.5m for the 18 year old, but Chelsea will retain a sell on fee for the midfielder.
That’s some consolation, but it’s not an ideal situation. We would much rather see the left footed playmaker go on loan for a couple of years to show his ability and then either integrate into the first team, or be sold for good money down the line.
£1.5m is a paltry fee for a brilliant teenager who we have been developing for years. Either way, we wish him the best in Yorkshire – we love seeing our youth thrive, wherever they are.
Fancy allowing a “brilliant teenager” to leave while at the same time the bush telegraph tells us you are looking at bringing in much older players from abroad. Bloody daft.