Pollock contract talks progressing well, says Saints boss Dowson

Pollock’s current Saints deal is set to run out in the summer of 2027.

Eddie Hearn, who signed Pollock to his Matchroom Talent Agency earlier this year, previously said that the player is eager to stay at Saints but that his current salary must be improved significantly, labelling him a ‘seven-figure player’.

And Dowson was in positive mood when asked about the prospect of the England star remaining with the black, green and gold beyond next year.

“It is going well,” said Dowson, speaking at the Gallagher PREM launch on Wednesday. “We are still pushing it through.

"What Eddie Hearn also said, and people have gone straight to the million pound remark, but the other thing he said is that Henry wants to win stuff, Henry wants to stay at Saints, Henry wants to play with that group of players.

“He wants to win the World Cup. I embrace that. I am all for that.

"The appetite is for him to stay. Now we’ve got to find a happy medium.

"We really want to keep him, he really wants to stay, and that’s a great start.”

Discussing Hearn’s comments on Pollock’s contract and future, Dowson said: “I think it is very helpful.

"Eddie Hearn has a job to do, and that is to promote his client and ask for more money for his client. He’s doing both of those very effectively.

"We’ve said we want to publicise and grow the game and he has the ability to do that.

“We still have to make decisions based on our budget and our financial situation. We’ll continue to do that in the best way possible. That is in discussion with agents, discussions with the group and discussions with the decision makers about what we can afford and how we put a squad together, how that fits within our budget.

"Eddie Hearn is great for the game. We want to keep Henry Pollock. Fundamentally, nothing has changed.

“What he (Hearn) says is based on his job.

"My job is to try to fit 57, 58 players within a squad on a budget. I’ll continue to do that.”