Leeds Face Losing Marcelo Bielsa if They Fail to Win Promotion to the Premier League

Leeds United face losing their manager Marcelo Bielsa to Real Betis if they fail to secure promotion to the Premier League this season.

Bielsa has rejuvenated Leeds since taking charge in June 2018, waking one of English football's biggest sleeping giants from their slumber and taking them within a whisker of a top flight return.

The Yorkshire outfit were in the driving seat to secure automatic promotion to the Premier League last campaign, but suffered an end of season stutter, before capitulating in the second leg of their playoff semi final against Derby County.

However, there have been no signs of a heartache hangover, with Bielsa's side currently in the driving seat to seal top tier football for the first time since 2004.

Bielsa is out of contract in the summer, and according to the ​Daily Express, hopes of him taking up a one year extension at Elland Road will be determined by whether or not Leeds are in the top flight next season.

The report states that Real Betis have already sounded out the Argentinian about the possibility of taking the Estadio Benito Villamarín hot seat. 

The scrutiny on Betis manager Rubi has intensified since the turn of the year, after a run of just one win in 10 ​La Liga games had left the Seville outfit in danger of being dragged into a relegation battle.

However, Rubi eased the pressure on his shoulders on Sunday with a fantastic ​2-1 victory over title-chasing Real Madrid.

Similarly, ​Leeds recorded a solid victory at the weekend to help calm any concerns about Bielsa's future. 

The Whites beat Yorkshire rivals Huddersfield 2-0, leapfrogging West Brom at the Championship summit in the process.

The win has seen Bielsa's side open up a seven point gap between themselves and third place Fulham in the race to the Premier League. 

Leeds have found a rich vein of form at just the right time, winning five on the bounce without conceding since their post-Christmas slump.

Their upturn in fortunes has also coincided with the return of influential midfielder Kalvin Phillips, who missed the defeats to Wigan and Nottingham Forest through suspension.

The midfielder has been linked with a move to ​Manchester United should Leeds fail to secure promotion.

However, speaking to the Express, former Leeds midfielder Michael Brown insists the 24-year old "loves Leeds United", and remains focussed on helping guide the team to the Premier League.