Celtic can breathe a sigh of relief after Andoni Iraola told Rayo Vallecano he wants to leave them in order to take charge of Leeds United.
He's the Elland Road club's first choice to replace jesse Marsch, who was sacked on Monday after less than a year in charge of the Yorkshire club, who want to try and avoid a second successive relegation battle, which the American successfully negotiated last term. Hoops boss Ange Postecoglou had been linked with the vacancy, although Record Sport reported that Parkhead chiefs were confident the Aussie would reject any advances from Leeds given his happiness at Celtic.
Leeds director of football Victor Orta flew to Madrid on Tuesday to hold talks with Iraola, who is desperate to work in the Premier League. Orta has since returned to England 24 to attend Wednesday night's game at Old Trafford against Manchester United, but is in constant dialogue with Vallecano bosses in the hope of thrashing out a compensation package for Iraola.
Iraola's contract expires in June but the Spanish outfit had been in talks to tie him down to a new deal and still want sizeable compensation. It means Leeds fans might have to wait until next week to see the Yorkshire club announce a new boss.
Chairman Andrea Radrizzani had taken to social media to suggest an appointment could be made within 48 hours of Marsch being sacked. But he was forced to backtrack and admit Leeds needed more time in their hunt for a new manager.
Iraola, 40, has steered Vallecano to fifth place in La Liga this season - having won promotion with them in 2021. He remains the preferred choice, but Radrizzani knows he faces a huge decision considering the club's perilous league position and would be willing to consider alternative targets should no agreement with Vallecano be reached.
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