IF Olyroos midfielder Mark Milligan is to ever appear in Newcastle colours, Jets coach Gary van Egmond hopes it will be in a long-term capacity.
The Jets have little room left under the $1.9 million salary cap, and van Egmond said the club might have to look at securing Milligan from next season.
"I'd love to have Mark here. Again it's one we have to have a look at the worth of it," van Egmond said.
"We have a case where we might be able to do something for this year, but it might be better for us to look beyond this season and obviously see what we can do the following couple of years.
"If that can happen with Mark, then great. If it can't, we might have to reassess things."
Jets chairman Con Constantine and CEO John Tsatsimas have been in talks with the clubless Milligan in the past week about the possibility of joining the Jets.
But Tsatsimas, who is in Brisbane for the next five days, said negotiations had slowed.
"Nothing much is progressing there at the moment. We've had discussions, and that's about it," Tsatsimas said.
A failure to sign Milligan may be a positive sign for Jets defender Daniel Piorkowski.
The Victorian has three weeks left on his injury replacement deal and is desperate to remain at the Jets.
Van Egmond said the Jets would try to keep Piorkowski long-term.
"We'd love to keep him around dollars and cents it comes down to," van Egmond said. "We just have to wait and see how it all pans out.
" We'll definitely be putting something in writing to him for the following years, and hopefully that can be something he takes up."
The man Piorkowski was signed to temporarily replace, Shaun Ontong, is on the comeback trail and has resumed team training.
Ontong was signed from Adelaide United this year but broke down in pre-season training and required surgery to repair a broken bone in his foot and have ligament reconstruction.
Van Egmond said Jets fans might see the diminutive defender in action next month.
In other injury news, golden boot striker Joel Griffiths continues to progress well from a grade-two hamstring tear.
"He trained on Tuesday, not flat out, but at 60 per cent, and he was OK," van Egmond said.
But he said Griffiths would play against Melbourne at EnergyAustralia Stadium on Saturday night only if he was 100 per cent.
"We won't take any risks. If leaving him another week means we won't lose him for another four or five, we'll do that," he said.