Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has claimed that prospective Leeds United target Marcelo Bielsa is "the best coach in the world".

The Argentine is currently unemployed, having been sacked by French side Lille in December after he was briefly suspended by the club following a poor run of results.

Championship side Leeds, meanwhile, are looking for a new manager following the dismissal of Paul Heckingbottom last week, and managing director Angus Kinnear has reportedly joined director of football Victor Orta in travelling to South America to meet Bielsa.

The 62-year-old, who has also managed the likes of the Argentina and Chile national sides, Athletic Bilbao and Marseille, is widely touted as one of the most influential coaches in the game.

"My admiration for Marcelo Bielsa is huge because he makes the players much, much better," Guardiola is quoted by Sky Sports News as saying.

"Still, I didn't meet one guy, a former player from Marcelo Bielsa who speaks no good about him. They are grateful about his influence on their careers in football.

"He helped me a lot with his advice. Whenever I speak with him I always feel like he wants to help me.

"It is important for me to say this about Marcelo because it doesn't matter how many titles he had in his career. We are judged by that - how much success we have, how many titles we have won.

"But that is much less influential than how he has influenced football and his football players. That is why, for me, he is the best coach in the world."

Leeds finished in 13th place in the Championship last season.