by Michael Baggaley
michael.baggaley@thesentinel.co.uk

STOKE midfielder Liam Lawrence is expecting a formal contract offer from the club in the next 24 hours ... and hopes to resolve his future within a week.

The 27-year-old is under contract for another 12 months, but has asked for a pay rise and a deal to tie him to Stoke for the next four years.

Lawrence signed his last contract in March 2008 during the club’s promotion season from the Championship. He has asked for a deal to reflect Stoke’s Premier League status, but says he doesn’t want to be the best paid player at the club.

He said: “I have read stuff about me wanting to be on £30,000 a week. That’s just not true. I can’t expect to go from less than £10,000 and ask for a 200 per cent increase.

“I am not greedy and this is not just about the money. It is about staying at Stoke for the long term.”

Lawrence, who joined City for a bargain £500,000 from Sunderland in January 2007, has scored 23 goals in 94 games for Tony Pulis’s side.

He was player of the year in the club’s 2007-2008 promotion season, but only made 19 starts last season after injuring his ankle tripping over his dog.

He proved his fitness by starting the final 13 games of last season and hopes to tie up his future before the players report back for pre-season training next Thursday.

He added: “Stoke are writing to me with an official offer, so I’m waiting to find out what the terms are. I’m hoping we can come to some sort of agreement because I would like to get it all sorted before we report back.

“I have been here since the start of the journey when things were taking off. Now I want to stay at Stoke and spend my best years here.”

Meanwhile, Lawrence hopes reports linking Stoke with his former Sunderland team-mate Dean Whitehead, below, turn out to be true.

City were also linked with the 27-year-old midfielder last summer. However, he could now be surplus to requirements following Steve Bruce’s appointment as manager at the Stadium of Light.

Lawrence said: “I think it would be a good signing. I had three great years with Dean. He’s a Glenn Whelan type who has a good engine, is good on the ball and gets forward, but he’s also strong on his defensive duties.”

Stories online today:
Lawrence hoping for promotion to Premier League wage packet
Fans’ chief hails Coates
Boss Pulis hails his young stars
Lifelong Stoke City fan Monica takes up new role
Olofinjana: I hope Martins chooses Stoke