Marcelo Bielsa reportedly has a buy-out clause of around £7.7 million at Leeds United.
You might not find a more popular man in West Yorkshire at the moment than Leeds United’s Marcelo Bielsa.
The eccentric Argentine coach made history last weekend by being the first-ever Leeds boss to win his first four games in charge of the Elland Road club.
United made a huge statement of intent by appointing the former Lazio and Argentina manager in June, but so far it looks an inspired decision as the Whites moved top of the Championship on Tuesday.
It was also a brilliant decision to include a hefty release clause in his contract, if a recent report is accurate.
According to the Chilean edition of Fox Sports, the 63-year-old, who signed a two-year deal with United, has a buy-out clause of around £7.7 million in his contract.
Someone like Bielsa will always attract interest, evident by the fact that he has already rejected the Mexico manager’s job since arriving in England [Fox Sports], but that release clause gives other organisations enough of a reason to look elsewhere.
It isn’t a massive amount of money for a player, but it’s a sizeable fee for a manager in his 60s and given the veteran’s history of short-term jobs in recent years (he lasted only 13 games at Lille last year), it would be a considerable gamble for any team to pay it.
Leeds’ Managing Director Angus Kinnear and Director of Football Victor Orta clearly envisaged that Bielsa would be successful enough to attract outside interest, which has been the case, but the release fee ensures that he is more than likely theirs for the foreseeable future.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
