Rugby League side Wigan have released a statement stating they are seeking clarification from Shaun Edwards, who said he is yet to sign a contract with the club.
Edwards' current commitments with the Wales Rugby Union come to a close at the conclusion of the 2019 World Cup, and the Warriors announced in August that the club legend would return to the DW Stadium as head coach in 2020.
However, in the wake of Wales' Grand Slam-winning Six Nations campaign, Edwards told reporters that while he had verbally agreed a move to Wigan, the club were yet to produce a contract for him to sign and that he considers himself "unemployed" at the end of the year.
"On my future, my next step really is to sign a contract," said Edwards. "I haven't signed a contract with anybody yet."
"I agreed with Wigan and thought we would sign a contract. But then Wigan said, 'it's okay, we'll sign one later', and I thought that was unusual. That was nine months ago.
"I'll consider all offers, league, union. All I can say is that I haven't signed anything with anybody."
The Warriors issued a statement on Monday that read: "Wigan Warriors are aware of quotes from Shaun Edwards regarding his future contractual arrangements. Following the conclusion of the Six Nations and Shaun's comments, we have been seeking dialogue with Shaun directly since Sunday to clarify to Wigan his intentions."
Edwards' comments are an unwelcome distraction for the defending Super League champions, who have lost five of their first six league games this year under coach Adrian Lam.
The 48-year-old signed a one-year contract with the club for 2019 to fill the gap between outgoing coach Shaun Wane - who left at the end of last year - and the expected arrival of Edwards in 2020, but so far has seen his team lose to London Broncos, Huddersfield and Hull FC among others to sit tenth in the overall standings.