Chelsea open contract talks with striker Patrick Bamford

Chelsea have reportedly started talks with striker Patrick Bamford regarding a new deal following his impressive showing for loan club Middlesbrough this season.

According to the Daily Mail, the Blues hierarchy have been impressed with Bamford's performance in the Championship and are ready to offer him an improved contract to remain at Stamford Bridge for the foreseeable future.

The 21-year-old forward has been in stunning form this season and has scored 17 goals in 36 appearances for the club in the league. This has seen Boro challenge for promotion to the Premier League and with three games left in the season, Aitor Karanka's team are just two points behind leaders Bournemouth.

Bamford, who is a U21 international, will enter the final year of his contract with Chelsea and the club are keen to tie him down to a new deal sooner rather than later.

The young forward, who had impressive loan spells with MK Dons and Derby County in previous seasons, is reportedly earning £7500-a-week at present, but the new contract is said to be a significant improvement on that figure.

The on-loan Middlesbrough strikers performances have not gone unnoticed by the English football authorities as well as the young forward has been nominated for the 2015 Football League Awards Young Player Of The Year along with Tottenham's Dele Alli, who is on loan with MK Dons and Nathan Redmond of Norwich City.

Meanwhile, Chelsea's head of youth development Neil Bath is delighted after the Blues' U19 team won the UEFA Youth League earlier in the week.

He has credited the entire staff and the players for their hard work and believes it is a great achievement to have won a competition which is the pinnacle of youth tournaments in Europe.

"It really is a fantastic accomplishment to have won this competition. It is the pinnacle of youth football in Europe, with the top clubs involved, so the win is a huge credit to everybody involved," Bath said, as quoted on Chelsea's official site.

"Adi Viveash [the Under-19s manager] and all the backroom staff deserve massive congratulations, as do the players, many of whom have been with us right from the start of their development. However, we must always acknowledge in these moments the enormous team effort that has gone into the development of this group of players," the youth team chief added.