Leeds United are in talks to appoint Javi Gracia as their new manager with the Spaniard the latest name touted for the Elland Road job.
That’s according to Fabrizio Romano, who claims that negotiations are underway for Gracia to potentially take the Leeds position.
Romano claims Gracia is a ‘serious candidate’ for Leeds, two weeks after they parted ways with Jesse Marsch.
Romano does though add that there are two names on the shortlist for Leeds, so Gracia faces a battle with an unknown manager.
The Whites have struggled to replace Marsch since his exit a fortnight ago, with a number of targets falling by the wayside.
Gracia is the latest in a long list of candidates for the Leeds job over the last couple of weeks, with the Whites no doubt sensing the scale of their relegation battle.
Saturday’s defeat at Everton means Leeds sit second bottom of the Premier League table and in danger of going down under interim boss Michael Skubala.
Who is Leeds United target Javi Gracia?
Gracia had a very strong playing career in Spain, turning out for the likes of Bilbao Athletic, Lleida, Real Valladolid, Real Sociedad, Villarreal and Cordoba before hanging up his boots in 2004.
Gracia went into coaching with Villarreal’s youth setup before becoming a manager in his own right at Pontevedra and Cadiz.
Villarreal brought Gracia back as their B team manager and Olympiacos then did the same.
Gracia was given a chance with Kerkyra in Greece and then started to really advance his career, earning moves to Almeria and Osasuna.
Malaga took a chance on Gracia in 2014 but he lasted just two years there, continuing his nomadic career with a spell at Rubin Kazan in Russia.
Watford secured Gracia in 2018 and he guided the Hornets to the FA Cup final in 2019, losing out to Manchester City.
After leaving Watford in September 2019, Gracia returned to Spain with Valencia and was last in work with Al Sadd in Qatar.
Gracia won 16 of his 22 games for Al Sadd, winning the Qatari Stars League in March 2022 after replacing Xavi Hernandez.
Now in line for a return to England, Gracia has experience in the Premier League and may tick the boxes for Victor Orta and Leeds.
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