Andy Key hopeful Marco Wentzel will stay at Leeds

Wentzel has scored three tries this season

Leeds Carnegie director of rugby Andy Key is hopeful captain Marco Wentzel will sign a new deal with the club.

The second-row is one of 15 Leeds players out of contract this summer and is the target of Gloucester, amongst other sides.

Key told BBC Radio Leeds: "Marco has expressed openly he loves it here.

"When the time is right I'm confident Marco will make the right decision for Marco. We are pretty confident that decision will be to stay at Leeds."

The South African joined Leeds from Leicester on a two-year deal in the summer of 2009 and was an inspiration in leading Carnegie to their surprise 10th-placed finish in the Premiership last year.

Key added: "The discussions are on-going and the position we are in [bottom of the Premiership] doesn't make it easy, but Marco likes the environment here and he came here to do a job.

Everyone is pulling together to make sure we've been able to buy the players we needed to, retain the players we need to and everyone can see we mean business

Andy Key

"Backy [head coach Neil Back] and I were very thankful when he first came here, because there were other opportunities around him that he could have taken, but he wanted to come here and support us.

"He still feels there is a job to be done here and therefore those conversations are continuing to take place behind the scenes."

Like last season, Leeds' Premiership future is in major doubt as they sit bottom of the table.

Key and Back have enjoyed good backing from the Yorkshire's club purse-holders in their time at Headingley, but the club have failed to attracted the additional funding need to increase their salary cap spending.

Despite that and the recession, Key still feels the board share his ambitions to push the club forward and are willing to spend the cash to do that.

"We are in difficult times and for some it's more difficult than others.

"We have a board and a management team that are working night and day to try and ensure that Leeds continues to develop.

"To develop you need those finances. There are a lot of opportunities that are on the table now, that the club may take or may not take, that could help the finances to develop.

"If that is the case then onwards and upwards, but we are in a good place at the moment, not the best place, as there is still work to be done.

"Everyone is pulling together to make sure by the time we get to the end of the season we've been able to buy the players we needed to, retain the players we need to and everyone can see, both in and outside of Leeds, we mean business."