Athletic Bilbao reportedly have a list of three men to decide between as Coach at the club for next season.
Alongside the option of keeping Marcelo Bielsa on board for a third year, the Basques are speculated today as prepared to only replace him with either B team Coach Jose Angel Ziganda, or Valencia’s Ernesto Valverde.
However, club President Josu Urrutia is seen as reluctant to make any moves to begin negotiations with any of the three, until Athletic and Valencia’s respective seasons are settled.
Athletic remain mathematically at risk from relegation, whilst Los Che are still in the fight for Champions League qualification.
Urrutia is known to have a strong relationship with Valverde and it has been reported that the duo have previously reached pre-contract agreements for the Coach to come to San Mames, both before he took the Olympiacos job for a second time in 2010 and then again before he went to Mestalla last November.
Valverde has also confirmed that he will not negotiate staying on at Valencia beyond the expiry of his contract this June before he knows who the club’s President will be.
