Reading FC are waiting to hear back from Andy Carroll and his representatives regarding an extension to his current contract at the Select Car Leasing Stadium, according to head coach Veljko Paunovic.
After spending some time as a free agent following his departure from Newcastle United over the summer, Carroll penned a short-term deal with the Royals back in November.
It was soon reported that the former England international was on a paltry £1,000 per week at the club, with the target man apparently wanting to just play football to get himself back to fitness.
Carroll has appeared six times under Paunovic this season and scored his first goal for the club in a 3-2 away win over Swansea City, bursting clear through on goal before firing beyond Ben Hamer.
The 33-year-old has started all of Reading's last four matches and provided an assist against Derby County this week, but with his contract expiring on January 15 the club are desperately waiting to hear back if Carroll will sign the fresh terms on offer.
"We did make our best possible offer and approach so we are now waiting for a response," Paunovic said, per BerkshireLive.
"Definitely, we were on time with our deadline and we are expecting the best possible outcome.
"He is happy here. We have a good rapport, I'm very happy with him and I hope we find a way of continuing to work together and I am very positive."
The Verdict
Because of his regular occurrence of injuries, Carroll hasn't been a regular starter for a number of years - his 27 Premier League appearances for West Ham in in 2015-16 is probably the last time he had an almost fully-fit campaign.
But the forward is showing promise now having played four matches in a row from the start for Reading and when fit he is a massive asset at Championship level.
He offers something a lot different to Reading's other forwards and with Lucas Joao coming back to fitness as well, Paunovic has a selection dilemma on his hands.
That's only the case though if Carroll opts to extend his time at the Royals - he could feasibly have other offers but fans will have their fingers crossed that the striker will show some loyalty to the club that gave him a chance once again.