Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin are in talks with Liverpool over extending striker Andriy Voronin's stay with the club.
The 29-year-old is on loan until the end of the season and Hertha have held initial talks over his longer-term future.
Liverpool's reported £4.4million asking price could scupper a permanent transfer, but the possibility of another season-long loan has been mooted.
Voronin has enjoyed a successful spell in Germany, scoring six goals in 16 league games including two in the 2-1 win over Bayern Munich on Saturday to send Hertha to the top of the table.
The Ukraine international had recently expressed that he was open to a return to Anfield once his loan finished but, could now remain with Hertha after opening discussions.
"Yes, we have now talked for the first time," Voronin confirmed to Bild.
The striker's agent, Andriy Golovach, added: "It was a good conversation, I think we are on a good way."
Hertha are keen to tie up the deal as soon as possible and club general manager Dieter Hoeness is confident a new deal will go through.
"Both parties are willing to continue. We really appreciate Andriy's performances," he said.
"His goals, his experience and his demeanour. And he has also said Hertha is a priority for him, because he likes the club and the city very much.
"We now know we have to work on solutions for this."
Hoeness also refused to rule out the possibility of striker Marko Pantelic staying at the club despite manager Lucien Favre getting frustrated at the Serbian international's erratic behaviour.
The 30-year-old's current contract runs out in the summer and despite Pantelic revealing that he would be happy to stay no deal has been signed.
"Yes, we do not share the same opinion on Marko," he added.
"But I can understand Lucien Favre, Pantelic has a few idiosyncrasies, he does not like training on Sundays and would love to just get treated by the physios. But this is just impossible."
Meanwhile Hoeness was quick to deny that he would be replacing his brother, Uli Hoeness, as general manager of Bayern Munich.
With Uli planning to take over from Franz Beckenbauer as Bayern chairman at the end of 2009 he has admitted that he is on the lookout for a new general manager, but his brother has ruled himself out of the running.
"I can categorically deny that," he told Kicker.
"There was a time when this was well on our minds, yes, but nowadays this is absolutely out of the question."
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