David Artell has told the club’s official website that he will continue ‘to chip away’ at trying to re-sign the players he wants to keep this summer. The Alex boss has opened dialogue with a number of those out of contract players and he says that these complex talks can be long and drawn our affairs.

The Crewe boss told crewealex.net: “We will keep pushing and we will keep talking. As I’ve said with contract negotiations there is no exact science. These things can take time. It took time last summer but we got there in the end. Hopefully the same will happen.

“I will keep chipping away it and hopefully we will get closer, or we will compromise or we will go elsewhere. There is a line and we cannot wait for ever either.

“You have to keep your eye on the ball and keep that dialogue going. That is what we will do and I’m sure it will be resolved one way or another. “