Carlton and Patrick Cripps are locked in talks over a contract extension that will likely tie him to the club long term.
Cripps, who is a free agent at season’s end, is prepared to put the Blues first when agreeing to terms on a new deal.
“You want what is best for the club, so it is about how we are we going to put ourselves in a position to be a good club, and a great club, going forward for a long period of time,” Cripps told The Herald Sun.
“Once you get up there, you want to stay up there.
“There is no rush. It (new contract) will happen, it’s just a matter of making sure we have got all the details (in place).”
SEN broadcaster Dwayne Russell pondered how much Cripps is worth a season and what Carlton should pay the star midfielder.
“They (Carlton) are negotiating with him at the moment, we’re hearing that a deal could be done very soon for Patrick Cripps to stay at Carlton," Russell told SEN's Dwayne's World.
“Remember, Lance Franklin signed a $10 million, nine-year deal all those years ago. Sydney didn’t just need a star footballer, they needed a marquee star as a drawcard as well.
“On that score, Cripps is got to be worth at least $1.3 or $1.4 (million) a year – Carlton can’t afford to let him go.
“What’s Carlton without Cripps? What would the Carlton Football Club look like if Patrick Cripps departed? They can’t afford to let him go.
“He’s got to be worth a pretty big number.
"I’d be making it a short-term deal with more money.
"He isn’t the kind of guy that at the moment is going to play deep into his 30s."
Cripps turns 26 on the same day he leads Carlton out to battle in their Round 1 clash against Richmond at the MCG.
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