Gerard Houllier hopes Aston Villa can reach a compromise with midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker and persuade him to sign a new contract.
Reo-Coker's current deal expires in the summer and he is reported to want an increase in wages from £30,000 to £50,000 a week to remain at Villa Park.
Houllier confirmed that talks are ongoing with Reo-Coker, who is currently sidelined with a knee problem suffered at Fulham at the weekend.
And the former Liverpool boss is keen for Reo-Coker to stay after making him stand-in skipper when Stiliyan Petrov was ruled out for two months with his own knee injury.
Houllier confirmed: "There are talks going on at the moment regarding Nigel. Am I confident a compromise can be reached? Yes, between the two figures mentioned.
"That's a compromise. The figures mentioned are 30,000 and 50,000 and between there is 40,000.
"I want to keep Nigel and they (Reo-Coker and his representatives) know that. He was my captain."
Meanwhile, Houllier insists he showed no disrespect to striker John Carew and that his comments were misinterpreted.
Houllier and Carew were involved in a public spat over the weekend but the Villa boss is adamant everything has been resolved and explained the situation to the whole squad.
He said: "This is my last word. The matter is over. I just explained in front of everybody there was a discrepancy in terms of John's interpretation and what I said.
"My words (at press conferences) are always recorded so when John saw that he realised that there was a difference.
"The matter is over. I think it was better the whole team knows what I said and why I said it so that's finished now.
"I'm surprised because he's a very experienced player. He's been around everywhere and he knows me and he knows that sometimes the media can twist your words or use one angle.
"He knows that. I think the Norwegian press distorted what was in the English press or what was said."
