Reading manager Veljko Paunovic revealed last night that the club were still waiting to hear back from Andy Carroll after making him the 'best possible' contract offer, speaking to Berkshire Live.
The 33-year-old has become a key cog in the Royals' machine since his arrival at the Select Car Leasing Stadium in mid-November - but only signed a short-term contract to remain at the club until the middle of this month.
Although he's able to play against Middlesbrough this weekend as per BBC Radio Berkshire, his deal in Berkshire expires after that, only having a very limited amount of time to make an impression at the club with the nature of his deal and a Covid-19 outbreak at the club causing three games to be postponed.
One of those rescheduled games was against Fulham last night, scoring two spectacular disallowed goals but being unable to make any further impact as the Cottagers secured a resounding 7-0 away win for the second time this term.
Despite this result, he was seen as one of Paunovic's side's better performers on the night, scoring just once in seven appearances during his time at the club but proving to be a real asset in the air as an outlet.
His stay at the Royals could potentially be coming to an end very shortly though. Previously confident about the ex-England international signing on the dotted line, the Royals' manager provided the latest update on the 33-year-old's contract situation last night.
He said: "Andy Carroll is somebody we must have here in order to go through this difficult period.
"He showed his spirit, his fighting mentality, he never gave up and [showed] his qualities.
"The team played a lot for him in the first half. We still have to improve on that and it would be massive if he stayed.
"We made him a contract offer - the best possible and now we await his response."
The Verdict:
After previously sounding confident about the possibility of him remaining at the club, he seems a little more downbeat about that now but many Reading fans will be praying he signs on the dotted line until the end of the season.
Considering the current state of play though, with the club in a relegation scrap and home attendances continuing to shrink, the prospect of staying put may not be that much of an attractive one at this stage.
However, it also remains to be seen whether he receives offers from elsewhere after failing to get on the scoresheet more times in the Championship. He has managed to stay fit though, something that could make him an attractive free agent to top-end second-tier sides and lower-end Premier League teams.
In glimpses, he's certainly shown that he can play above Championship level with his technique and ability - and that's why his future is now out of the Royals' hands.
If he doesn't remain at the club, there would be a real need to bring in another striker to the Select Car Leasing Stadium with Lucas Joao not guaranteed to stay fit when he returns and George Puscas not exactly firing on all cylinders this term.