Leeds United have confirmed the signing of Lewis Bate from Chelsea after rejecting the Blues contract.

The midfielder is highly rated by the Blues’ academy staff and the club had hoped to agree a new long-term contract with the 18-year-old.

According to football.london, Bate was offered a lucrative deal by Chelsea but with concerns over whether there would be a route for him to make the first team, that was turned down.

That meant the England youth international had less than 12 months remaining on his contract and interest in his services had emerged from a number of Premier League sides.

Leeds came to an agreement with Chelsea on Tuesday which will see the Blues receive an initial £1.5million with further significant add-ons and a sell-on fee percentage included.

Bate has signed a three-year contract with the Whites and will join up with Mark Jackson’s Under-23s for the forthcoming season.