GREATER Western Sydney is yet to re-sign talented forward Devon Smith despite tabling an offer two months ago to retain the 24-year-old.
Smith played his 100th game in round seven against St Kilda, but has not played since round eight after tearing his meniscus at training.
AFL.com.au understands Smith's management and the Giants have been having productive discussions since an offer believed to be around $550,000 a season was made to retain the sharpshooter.
Smith has been linked with a move back to his roots in Geelong ever since the Giants selected him with pick No.14 in the 2011 NAB AFL Draft, but he stated publicly in April that he would not make a final decision until at least the middle of the season.
Smith has been keen to wait for the collective bargaining agreement to be finalised before recommitting.
He was keen to play consistent football before putting pen to paper and was in good form before suffering his injury, and indicated he was keen to be part of premiership success at GWS after being part of its inaugural team in 2011.
"My manager and the club will work that out and hopefully get a deal done by mid-year," Smith said.
The CBA signed off on Tuesday added 20 per cent to each club's total player payments, meaning clubs have more than $12 million to spend on their list from this year onwards.
Players who have an automatic uplift tied to the CBA increase included in their contract will receive the benefit of that increase automatically, while the club will need to determine where it spends any outstanding money to ensure it reaches at least 95 per cent of the cap.
The Giants have several delicate negotiations under way, with key players with Josh Kelly remaining unsigned as he contemplates once-in-a-lifetime offers from North Melbourne and St Kilda.
Promising midfielders Jacob Hopper and Matthew Kennedy are also unsigned and attracting interest from AFL clubs.
Smith is expected to return from his knee injury in three weeks and shapes as a key player in the Giants' premiership campaign.
