Melbourne Storm playmaker Gareth Widdop's waiting game on new contract Gareth Widdop is in the process of working out a new deal with the Storm. MELBOURNE Storm five-eighth Gareth Widdop has refused to put a deadline on his contract negotiations with the club determined to "get everything right" in what looms as the biggest deal of his career. The England international is off-contract at the end of the season and has become the target for a host of cashed-up NRL clubs looking to bolster their playmaking ranks. It's a new situation for the 24-year-old, who watched on last year while teammate Cooper Cronk endured constant speculation about his future before finally re-signing with Storm for four years. Widdop's meteoric rise was underscored when he returned to Britain with Storm in February for the World Club Challenge against Leeds. A training run at his old club Halifax attracted nearly 1500 people, who all mobbed Widdop. After that training session he expressed a long-term desire to return to the UK and play in the Super League but said his immediate future was definitely in the NRL, and in Melbourne. I'm more than happy at Melbourne ... I'll be there for the next few years," he told the local press. This week Widdop told the Herald Sun he wouldn't get caught up in speculation about off-contract NRL stars and would take time to get the best deal. "Everyone has to go through the negotiation process and I'm happy with how things are going at the moment," he said. I don't want to think about it too much because I have to go out there and play footy, that's my main focus. But it is in the background, it's big decision time. People have advice for you but you have to work out the best way to handle it for yourself. It's a learning process. Hopefully things will get sorted soon enough. Widdop had lunch with football operations manager Frank Ponissi on Tuesday but that was dismissed as a regular "catch-up." A salary cap rising to $7 million by 2017 is in Storm's favour and coach Craig Bellamy said he would not pressure Widdop. "I'll have a chat to him at some stage but he doesn't need pressure from me, he needs to work out what is best for himself and his family," Bellamy said. It's a big decision. We'd love him to stay. Each and every year he is becoming a more important part of our team.