text: Patrick Bamford believes his long-term future lies at Chelsea and hopes winning the Championship Player of the Year award for his 19-goal season on loan at Middlesbrough will strengthen his case. The striker beat Ipswich Town’s Daryl Murphy and Watford’s Troy Deeney to win the prize at Sunday night’s Football League Awards in central London. After previous loan spells at MK Dons and Derby County, the 21-year-old has produced his best form yet for Aitor Karanka’s promotion-chasing side. And he hopes his success has been noted at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea loanee Patrick Bamford hopes his long-term future will be at Stamford Bridge . Bamford takes centre stage after collecting the Championship Player of the Year award on Sunday . ‘There’s no reason why I wouldn’t want to be at Chelsea,’ he said. ‘That's my dream, to pull on that blue shirt, so hopefully it'll come true. ‘In the Premier League, strikers are about 23 or 24 if they're playing week-in, week-out and at a club like Chelsea, you've got the money to go out and buy a world class striker like Diego Costa. ‘And there's also that pressure they need to win trophies, win the league. It's just one of those things, you have to stick with it, be patient and hopefully the rewards will come.’ Bamford believes Middlesbrough has been the perfect fit for him because the styles of Karanka and Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho are so similar. The 21-year-old striker has scored 17 Championship goals for Middlesbrough this season . Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho (right) has been impressed with Bamford's attitude as well as his development . He said: ‘At the start of the season, I had a discussion with Chelsea and they decided that out of the clubs that were interested, Middlesbrough would be the best fit. ‘Not only for me as a player but it would make me ready for Chelsea next year or the year after.’ Before he returns to London, Bamford will play an integral role in trying to get Middlesbrough over the line in an insanely tight Championship promotion race. Their 1-0 win at Norwich City on Friday night could prove vital, though Watford and Bournemouth overtook them again on Saturday. The young striker will have to compete with the likes of Diego Costa when he is called back to Chelsea . Bamford is hoping to help Aitor Karanka’s Middlesbrough side get promoted to the Premier League . Bamford, who had to come off before the end at Carrow Road, said: ‘A massive result. I can't put into words how much it meant to us, you saw the reaction of the staff after the game and after I went off and had to sit on the bench, it was the worst 10 or 15 minutes since I've become a footballer. ‘In that game, it was awful, there's nothing you can do on the sidelines and it makes you see what it's like for managers. ‘You can see the work we put in week-in, week-out on the training ground, we do deserve to go up but I think a lot of teams think the same thing. Bamford hopes to be part of Gareth Southgate’s England Under 21 squad for the European Championships . ‘It's going to be tight, it's going to be an exciting finish to be sure.’ After that, Bamford hopes to be part of Gareth Southgate’s England Under 21 squad for the European Championships in the Czech Republic this summer. He said: ‘That's my aim and with the friendlies with Germany and the Czech Republic, I had to pull out because I've had a problem with my toe for the last few months. ‘I spoke to Gareth about it and he said make sure I'm okay for the summer because that's the aim. First priority is to get promoted with Middlesbrough and then after to try and win the Euros.’
target: Chelsea loanee Patrick Bamford has impressed at Middlesbrough .
  21-year-old has scored 17 Championship goals so far this season .
  Bamford insists he wants his long-term future to be at Stamford Bridge .