Tommy Wright is confident St Johnstone will beat off competition from other clubs and tie-up Steven MacLean on a new contract by the end of the week.
The former Rangers and Sheffield Wednesday striker has been in top form since returning from a serious knee injury.
His partnership with Stevie May is one of the most productive in the Premiership and Wright admitted that getting MacLean to commit his future to the club is a priority.
The Perth boss explained: “We had a meeting with Steven on Friday about a new contract and it was very positive. There are one or two other clubs sniffing around him but he wants to stay and we’re waiting for word back.
“So hopefully it could be sorted out in the next few days. We have made him a good offer within our budget. In the past people have left to go to other clubs for bigger wages.
“But we’ve showed Steven how highly we rate him. If it takes more than just a few days for him to think it over then we’re fine with that.
“Steven gives us so much, he’s a leader on the pitch and gets people going. He’s like a second captain for us at times.
“He’s a great link man and holds the ball up really well, so he’s been very important to us. Stevie May will be the first to admit that his success has been helped by the people around him.
“We’re delighted to have Macca back in the squad and playing well.
“He can be a key player for us and gets people playing in and around him. We’re more than happy with his contribution this season.”
Wright is also hoping to have a meeting with May’s agent in the near future so that talks can begin on extending his contract beyond next summer.
The Saints manager probably has less money to play with than most of his Premiership counterparts, but insisted he is comfortable with his transfer kitty parameters.
He pointed out: “Every deal that gets done has to be right for the club. We lost Liam Craig last year after making him a good offer. But that can happen. We couldn’t match what Hibs put on the table.
“Our club’s never been run like that but the chairman is making the best offers he can within our structure. And players know that the potential is there to earn good money here.
“We’ll do our best to get the deals over the line. I look at the likes of Dave Mackay who has probably had opportunities to move on. Steven Anderson would be the same.
“They’ve stayed and they’ve been rewarded for that. They’ve had success. At times it’s easy to jump ship but it’s not always the best option. What we can provide here should be an attraction to players.”
Meanwhile, Wright paid tribute to his 26-goal striker after May broke a long-standing top flight goalscoring record at the weekend.
He said: “He had that little spell of not scoring in four or five games and the media were asking, has the bubble burst?
“But he’s got a great belief in himself and that never changes. It doesn’t get greater when he’s scoring goals I don’t think it could and it doesn’t wane when he isn’t.”
Lee Croft should be back in contention to play at Aberdeen on Saturday. He was kept out by illness against Dundee United.
Gary McDonald’s knee has responded well so far to injections and rest but Wright cautioned: “We’ll know more when he increases his workload.”