Marcelo Bielsa is 'very, very close' to putting pen to paper on a new Leeds contract but his meticulous preparations for the Premier League season are inadvertently hindering progress.
Leeds are back in the top flight for the first time since the 2003-04 season after Bielsa guided the Elland Road club to Championship glory last season.
They will begin their season with an away trip to Anfield to face Premier League champions Liverpool and Bielsa is working flat-out to ensure they are ready for the curtain-raising match on September 12.
But Leeds chief executive Angus Kinnear has told Sky Sports that the Argentine is so busy that he's found it hard to get the time for him to pen the contract.
Kinnear said: 'He is very, very close. The challenge with Marcelo, as we had last season, is he is totally fixated on the preparations for the season ahead.
'He's in the training ground every day, he is working with the team, he's doing his analytics and I just need to find the appropriate window to get the paper in front of him and for him to sign it but we don't foresee any challenges.'
After locking horns with Jurgen Klopp's side, Leeds face Fulham at Elland Road and a trip to Sheffield United before meeting Pep Guardiola's Manchester City.
Bielsa has been Leeds manager since 2018, with the club falling short of their target of Premier League promotion in his first season when they beaten by Derby in the play-off semi-final.
This year, they romped to Championship glory ahead of runners-up West Brom by 10 points.