Chris Coleman has hinted he could be swayed by other job offers after admitting renewing his Wales contract is far from a done deal.
The Wales manager has admitted he and his employers are “apart” after their initial discussions over a new deal.
But the former Fulham boss says a return to the Premier League is an option after the Euro 2016 finals this summer.
Coleman believes his status has risen after guiding his country to their first major tournament finals for 58 years and said: “This time two years ago there wouldn’t have been a hint of someone else.
“I’d have been down a long list of names if there was a job up to apply for. I wouldn’t say someone has sat me down and said, ‘Are you coming to us?’
“It doesn’t work like that. But managers are stocks and shares, aren’t we? At the minute, it has gone well with Wales.”
Coleman began discussions with the association last week over a new deal that would see him continue after his current contract expires after the finals.
The two sides did not find a lot of common ground and he admitted: “It never went very far. Sometimes it doesn’t, actually. I didn’t expect it to.
“It wasn’t disappointing because it’s an important decision to go into the World Cup for me and Wales. It has to be right. I didn’t expect the first negotiations to be, ‘Great, is that it? Let’s do it?’ It’s not going to be like that.
“We are apart. I’ve never signed a contract where the first negotiations are ‘You want that? I can give you that. Shake hands and it’s done’. That never happens.”
The two sides have now put talks on hold to allow Coleman to concentrate on this Thursday’s friendly at home to Northern Ireland and the trip to Ukraine four days later.
But he wants the issue to be settled well before Wales head to France for their opening group match of the finals against Slovakia on June 11.
“All I can think about now is Northern Ireland. I don’t want to be talking to anyone about my contract or the World Cup.
“Everything else has to wait until those two weeks are done. Once they are done then we go straight back into it.
“Ideally, it will be done before we go to the tournament. We have a bit of time to make sure we concentrate on that.
“The powers that be know me. They know I just want to get my head down with these two games.
“It’s not a stalling tactic because it’s all about the games. Once they have gone then who knows? In the next one we could nail it. Maybe it will take longer. Ideally, though, you want it done sooner rather than later.”
