The Athletic's Phil Hay has dropped an update on Leeds United's pursuit of Chelsea starlet Lewis Bate.

What's the story?

Marcelo Bielsa's side have had a relatively quiet summer in terms of first team signings thus far, with the only notable addition being that of Junior Firpo from Barcelona - Jack Harrison also saw his loan deal made permanent.

The Athletic have now claimed that the Whites are keen on signing Bate, with the 18-year-old eager to join a club who could provide him with a better pathway into the senior side and more opportunities to play.

On Twitter, Hay said: "From @SJohnsonSport, talented youngster Lewis Bate seemingly on the way out of Chelsea. Leeds United one of the clubs vying to sign him."

Then, in response to a question from a fan, he added: "He'd be for development. Not the main centre mid target."

Fans will be excited

Given the kind of impressive recruitment Leeds have made over these past couple of seasons in terms of strengthening their developmental squad, Bate's arrival would be the latest in a long line of shrewd additions.

Last summer saw the arrivals of the likes of Joe Gelhardt and Sam Greenwood from Wigan and Arsenal respectively, while the Whites have already added Amari Miller and Sean McGurk this time around.

However, Bate may be the biggest coup of the lot. The Athletic have revealed that some coaches behind the scenes at Chelsea rate him higher than when Billy Gilmour was at the same age - the latter is now on loan at newly-promoted Norwich and recently played at Euro 2020 with Scotland.

The Athletic added: "Bate is one of the most highly-rated midfielders in the country, coming close to making his debut for the senior side when he was named on the bench against Sheffield United and Bayern Munich last year. Leeds’ hopes are growing that they could win the race for his signature but are aware of the competition. Significantly, Bate has started to follow a number of Leeds players on Instagram."

Given the kind of clamour surrounding his potential and what he could go on to achieve, Hay's latest update on Bate makes for exciting reading if you're a Leeds fan.

Meanwhile, Leeds must finally land this long-term transfer target Bielsa's desperate for...