Leeds Make Bold Move for Ex-Argentina Boss Marcelo Bielsa After Paul Heckingbottom Sacking

​​Leeds United are making an audacious move for former Argentina and Athletic Bilbao manager Marcelo Bielsa to replace Paul Heckingbottom, who was sacked on Friday.

The 62-year-old has been out of work since leaving Lille last November with the club in the relegation zone. They eventually survived by a point but Bielsa's reign left them in a bad state financially.

Bielsa was once considered among the best managers in Europe and although his reputation as taken a bit of a knock in recent years, Leeds are convinced that he is the man to restore them to former glories.

​El Correo claims that talks have begun between Bielsa and the Leeds hierarchy, and the Yorkshire club are confident that they are on target to get their man.

Bielsa has always admired English football from afar despite never managing a British club. He has managed a number of European club sides since leaving his post as Chile manager in 2011.

Leeds appointed Heckingbottom from ​Barnsley in February but he won just four of 16 league matches before the end of the season.

They now want a more inspirational presence in the dugout and Bielsa would certainly fit the bill, having managed in World Cups and Europa League finals.

He was in charge of Argentina when they crashed out at the group stages of the 2002 World Cup but had better luck with Chile in 2010 as they reached the last 16.

However, it was his exploits with Athletic Bilbao that put him on the radar of many of Europe's biggest clubs as he guided them to the Europa League and Copa del Rey finals in 2012.

He has since managed Marseille, Lazio and Lille, but he had mixed fortunes and left all three clubs in acrimonious circumstances.