LEIGH Leopards head coach Adrian Lam is “relaxed” and “in no rush” to sign a new contract while singularly focused on turning Leigh into Betfred Super League play-off contenders.

Lam’s current deal runs out at the end of the season and has been linked to jobs at South Sydney Rabbitohs and Hull FC.

Owner Derek Beaumont stated publicly there is a three-year deal available for the former Wigan boss.

But as Leigh prepare to welcome Salford to Leigh Sports Village on Friday night (kick-off 8pm) Lam repeatedly side-stepped questions about whether he’ll still be in charge in 2025.

“I am off contract at the end of the year and that’s probably why these links keep coming up,” he said.

“Nothing has changed from a week ago, nothing will probably change in a week or a month. It might take three months; I am not sure.

“I try to push those things aside and make sure I focus on this team. We need to start winning.

"We are in a difficult position on the table and my whole focus is set on that.”

Describing himself as “very loyal” Lam added: “I am relaxed about the whole situation. I am in no rush.

“Any smart person could have gone straight in after the Challenge Cup win and signed a five-year deal.

“Let’s just start focusing on winning games and from that I think things will progress.

“What we have done in the last two and a half years had been incredible. I don’t want to look too far ahead, "I don’t want to talk about contracts, I don’t want to think about contracts. I want to get this team winning again.”

Leigh’s thrilling but frustrating 28-all extra time draw with Castleford left Leopards ninth on the ladder, nine points off all of the top six sides, including Salford.

They also face five successive away games and won’t return to the LSV until the visit of Huddersfield on July 13.

Yet Lam said: “We are going to do some amazing things this year.

“The story this year might be ‘let’s get off the canvas, let’s find a way to win games, make the six’ and then from there the story might be something bigger and better in a different way.”

Salford were 32-22 winners when the teams met on March 30 and Lam describes this latest encounter as “ a massive challenge. We have got to start winning because mental slip ups and lack of concentration are hurting us.”

John Asiata’s latest hamstring tear will side-line him for a minimum of eight weeks with Gareth O’Brien and Ben Nakubuwai still approximately a fortnight away from comebacks.