Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson has provided an update on his contract, with a meeting scheduled with chairman Steve Parish next week.
The 72-year-old was presented with a new deal earlier this month, with his current terms due to expire in the summer.
Parish recently stated in an interview with the official club website he expected Hodgson to extend his stay at Selhurst Park and the pair will meet again after Saturday’s derby at Brighton.
After losing twice to the Seagulls last season and only drawing in December, the Eagles will hope to claim bragging rights over their rivals for the first time since April 2018.
“It is going well and I shall be meeting with the chairman again next week so we will see what happens there,” Hodgson said when asked about the latest on his contract.
“This is a special game for the fans, it has a certain history in the annals of both clubs.
“We are very much aware of that as a club and as a football team and aware of what the game means and how much our supporters look forward to this.
“Maybe it is the first game they look for when the fixtures come out, but you can’t do more than prepare properly for it.
“There is nothing you can do extra special for these matches and that goes for all derby games.”
Palace could have captain Luka Milivojevic back in contention after he returned to training this week following a bout of illness.
It saw the Serbian midfielder miss the 1-0 win over Newcastle on Saturday and the Eagles will also be boosted by the return of winger Jeffrey Schlupp (hip) and centre-back Mamadou Sakho (hamstring) soon.
Defender James Tomkins (hamstring) remains sidelined, but the south Londoners will head to Brighton with a close to fully-fit squad.
A late strike by Wilfried Zaha earned Palace a point from the last meeting with Graham Potter’s side at Selhurst Park and it was the Ivory Coast international’s sixth goal against Brighton.
“I believe he gives his best in all the matches,” Hodgson said.
“He wants to be the important player in our team in every match we play. I am expecting him to take on that responsibility tomorrow and to wear that with pride.”
The coronavirus continues to impact sporting events across the world, but has yet to have an effect on the Premier League.
In Serie A, five fixtures will be played behind closed doors this weekend and Hodgson confirmed the club are following the advice of the medical team.
“We have a very good doctor and medical staff,” he added. “He is the one who advises us and the players on what we should be doing.
“He has made it very clear about the hygienic measures we should be following in order to make sure we don’t encourage the virus in any way.
“We follow that to the letter so we are doing everything that is possible for us to do in the medical guidelines.”
