Sporting Lisbon haven’t come calling for Stevie May, but if they did the St Johnstone striker joked his chairman would probably chauffeur him to the airport.
May is in no rush to leave McDiarmid Park, and expects to agree a new deal rather than follow his Scotland under-21 team-mate Ryan Gauld out of Tayside.
“The contract negotiations are ongoing,” May reported. “Contract talks tend to drag on rather than get thrashed out overnight. We are in the middle of things and hopefully it will get sorted out soon.
“It was never a case that I had said I wouldn’t be signing a new deal. There is a bit of negotiating being done and I am still hopeful of signing a new deal.”
On Gauld’s transfer to Portugal, he noted: “Ryan Gauld is a great prospect and it is some move for him.
“If anyone here sees a club like Sporting Lisbon coming in with an offer I think the chairman will be driving me to the airport!”
May would be happy if another player who earned United millions of pounds a few years ago, David Goodwillie, ends up with Saints.
Goodwillie has been training with the Perth club and manager Tommy Wright is keen to snap him up.
“David Goodwillie would be a great signing,” May pointed out. “We are low on options up front with only three to pick from.
“He has shown before he is a quality player who can score goals. I see the manager has been saying he has to get back enjoying his football again and he can do that here.
“This is as good a club as any for him. He would be a great signing and would do well here.
The prospect of European football in under a fortnight brings back fond memories for May, who first made his name as a Saints player in the Europa League qualifiers.
“It was nice to get a goal so early in the season last year, especially in European football,” he recalled. “But after beating Rosenborg it was a massive disappointment to go out on penalties to Minsk. I still think we were a better side than them.
“It was a tough one to take especially after winning in Belarus. We should have capitalised on that. We had home advantage and should have gone through. It wasn’t to be for us but hopefully we can progress further this year.
“Despite losing to Minsk we went on to have a great season and managed to win a trophy.
“The atmosphere at the home games was great last summer and hopefully we will have our first sell out match in a long, long time at Perth for the Luzern second leg.
“There were 15,000 at Celtic Park for the final so if ever there was going to be a big crowd at McDiarmid surely this is the time. The fans are still on a high from winning the cup and hopefully we can have a right go at Luzern with the crowd behind us.”
May added: “It has been the shortest summer ever for us. It was the first time most of us had the chance to play in the last game of the season the Scottish Cup final and now we are back preparing for another crack at Europe.
“But we have had enough time to enjoy a break without losing much in the way of fitness before the games with Luzern.
“In the build-up to the final Europe wasn’t even mentioned. It wasn’t in our minds when we played United. It was all about winning the cup, 100%. We didn’t need any added motivation given what it meant for everyone at the club. We wanted our hands on that trophy so much. Europe is a bonus that only began to sink in a few days later.
“We can look back on cup final day when we are older because not many players win the Scottish Cup.
“Last year we didn’t know much about Rosenborg or Minsk before the manager clued us in on their strengths and weaknesses. It will be the same with Luzern.
“Any team from Switzerland will be tough competition. There probably aren’t any easy ties. They will be looking at us, the sixth team in Scotland, and thinking it is a good draw for them. But it is a trip the players and the fans are looking forward to.”