Marcelo Bielsa will become the highest paid Leeds United coach in the club’s history, when he and the Whites finally complete contract negotiations.  

According to a report in the Yorkshire Evening Post, Leeds and Bielsa are at the final stages of negotiating with very little now standing in the way of the 62-year-old becoming Andrea Radrizzani’s third head-coach in just 12 months.

Leeds have been in talks with Bielsa for some time now, with the experienced coach the favourite to replace Paul Heckingbottom in the Elland Road dugout.

Although no figures are revealed, the YEP claim that when Bielsa takes over at Elland Road, he will become the highest paid boss in the club’s 99-year history.

Leeds opted for a managerial change after last season’s disappointing 13th place finish in the Sky Bet Championship, moving to sack Paul Heckingbottom in early June.

Since then, Leeds have been working to thrash out a deal with Bielsa, who has managed the likes of Lille, Athletic Bilbao and Marseille, as well as Argentina and Chile on the international stage.

Bielsa is expected to be named as head-coach before Leeds’ playing squad return for pre-season training on June 25th, giving him six weeks before the start of the Championship season.

The Verdict  

It has taken two solid weeks of negotiating to get to this stage, with Leeds clearly keen to have Bielsa in charge ahead of next season.

The 62-year-old is highly thought of in the word of football, which is why Leeds are willing to break a club-record to agree a deal with him.

The deal needs completing as soon as possible, as Leeds’ plans for next season need to begin.

Leeds fans… Let us know your thoughts!