Daniel Farke revealed talks on Alex Tettey's future at Norwich City are now entering the end game.
Wes Hoolahan left with plenty of fanfare at the weekend but his fellow midfielder is also out of contract this summer, with reports on Monday a new two-year deal could be announced this week.
The Canaries have made Tettey an offer and Farke admitted he expects a swift decision, with the Championship climax at Sheffield Wednesday on Sunday.
'It would be good to sign him for the future,' said Farke. 'I made it clear, and Stuart (Webber) spoke about this, there is an offer on the table.
'I don't think there will be a decision in four weeks time.
'We said we had to make decisions on both Alex and Wes. It is crucial for our planning in this area.
'If it is not possible to sign Alex then we have to watch out which players are capable to fulfil his position.
'We need a decision in the next few days, maybe even before Sheffield.
'It is a little bit complicated because of the financial point of view.
'There is a lot of work for Stuart but we'll see how it works out in the end.
'One of the reasons you keep a lad like Alex is because of his experience and he knows how to win those battles in the Championship. It is important to have experience like Alex because we have a lot of good young lads who need leadership.
'If it is not possible to keep him I don't think the world breaks down. We will still be competitive.'
MORE: Have your say on our Pinkun forumFarke accepts waving goodbye to both Tettey and Hoolahan would be a blow.
'We know we had to lower the age of the squad but you also need a balance and the right experience,' he said.
'We have leaders in this group. Timm Klose, Grant Hanley, even at 26, Mario Vrancic, Ivo Pinto. But decisions also have to be made from the financial as well as the sport side.
'No-one wanted to lose Alex Pritchard with his ability but he had the opportunity to move on.
'If I look at our squad there are options for this area of the pitch.
'Onel Hernandez is back, some loan players will come back, like Todd Cantwell, but it is also important to watch out a bit in the offence to strengthen the squad.
'In general, we had the problem to score enough goals and this is a topic we want to look at.
'It is 100pc necessary. We have to decide what is possible in the market, even if we don't have the money of some other clubs.'
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