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Bielsa denies reports he is close to signing fresh two-year deal at Leeds United
The Argentine boss says he has no new updates to give regarding his future at Elland Road
Marcelo Bielsa has denied reports suggesting that he is close to signing a two-year contract extension at Leeds United.
Argentine publication La Nacion reported that Bielsa is on the verge of committing to a new deal that would see him remain at Elland Road until 2023.
However, the 65-year-old insisted that the "information is not real" at a press conference on Thursday, while also revealing that he will give an update on his future as soon as a final decision is made between him and the club.
What's been said?
"That information is not real," Bielsa told reporters ahead of Leeds' Premier League meeting with Liverpool on Monday night. "I ignore the origin.
"Those things, either the club can say or I can say it, we are the ones who possess the information.
"In all cases, if there was any information to give, then I would give it."
When does Bielsa's current contract end?
Bielsa is edging towards the final two months of his current deal at Elland Road, and has previously stated that he will sit down with Leeds' backroom staff to discuss his next move at the end of the season.
The Argentine tactician was in a similar situation last year, but signed a 12-month renewal one week before the start of the 2020-21 campaign.
What has Bielsa achieved at Leeds?
Bielsa inherited the managerial reins at Leeds in 2018, and guided the team to the Championship play-offs in his first full season, only to see them suffer a semi-final defeat to Derby County.
The Whites bounced back from that disappointment to gain automatic promotion to the Premier League as Championship winners last term, with Bielsa receiving much of the credit for ending the club's 16-year exile from the top-flight.
The entertaining style of play that has been a staple of his time in Yorkshire has also proved successful in the Premier League, with Leeds currently pushing for a top 10 finish with just seven matches left to play.
What else did Bielsa say?
Leeds will be aiming to pick up a fourth successive victory in the top-flight for the first time in 20 years when Liverpool arrive at Elland Road next week, having upset current league leaders Manchester City last time out.
Bielsa has played down the significance of that potential milestone, though, as he added: "I have always said that the dimension of the institution at Leeds is very big. The sporting past of Leeds is full of very high points.
"To win four games in a row in the Premier League compared to all the things that Leeds have achieved, of course it will give us great happiness, but if you compare it to all the things Leeds have achieved in their sporting history, it's not so big.
"To be able to be at the height of some of their past successes, some extraordinary things need to be done and we are quite far away from being there."
