LET’S make this perfectly clear.

Garth Brennan wants Jarryd Hayne at the Gold Coast.

The coach is planning for next season and Hayne features heavily.

So key to the Titans’ spine, the coach has set a meeting with Hayne as soon as his duties with the Fiji World Cup squad wrap up.

While the pair have exchanged messages since Brennan took charge of the Titans, the possibility of Hayne leaving the club has not been mentioned by either man.

Brennan has heard the speculation that the $1.2 million man is returning to Sydney but from his end, there’s been no request for a release and it’s business as usual.

At least for now, his biggest headache with Hayne is figuring out where to play him.

“I want Jarryd to have the ball in his hands as much as he can,” Brennan told foxsports.com.au.

Jarryd Hayne of the Titans looks on.

“Whether that’s in the halves or fullback, that’s something I have to work out. I want Jarryd to be comfortable in the position he’s playing.

“What comes first is what’s best for the team and I think that’s Jarryd with the ball in his hands.

“It could be at six, one or in the centres. I’ll speak with Jarryd about it and we’ll tinker with it in the pre-season.”

Carving up in the halves with Fiji, wearing the No.6 is something Hayne has done in club land before and could be doing for the Titans next year.

Brennan has virtually ruled out playing Hayne in the centres.

“He’s shown in the World Cup that when the ball’s in his hands, he can do something special,” he said.

“That’s what I want.”

While Hayne’s best position remains uncertain, Brennan has contingency plans for if Hayne doesn’t play fullback.

There’s also the possibility of him not being there altogether.

The rumblings of Hayne wanting to leave for Sydney, to be closer to his child who is on the mid-north coast, won’t die.

Parramatta is the club of choice and it’s understood the Eels don’t need to offload any players to accommodate Hayne.

“We’ve exchanged text messages in relation to Fiji, wishing him luck,” Brennan said.

“We’ve been texting about that. I have not once text him asking if he’s staying or going.

“I want to sit down face-to-face with Jarryd but he has not indicated to me, the club or Hayden Knowles that he’s looking to move.”

However, an exit would leave the Titans thin for next season.

Should a player swap come about, it would be a result of nothing other than goodwill.

But that’s no certainty.

If Hayne was to leave the club, it’s understood the Titans would consider not replacing him for the 2018 season.

Gold Coast Titans coach Garth Brennan during training.

Brendan Elliot, Tyrone Roberts-Davis and Philip Sami have all previously played fullback, with their new recruit from Newcastle (Elliot) the most likely option in the short-term.

So what would happen to Hayne’s salary if he was released?

With a stop-gap in place, they would pre-pay their current squad and go to market for a quality No.1 to join the team in 2019.

Lachlan Coote, Dylan Edwards, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Matt Dufty are all off-contract this season.

Recently, the club has been linked with Canberra centre Joey Leilua.

He is a player of interest should he become available but they haven’t reached out to him, despite suggestions the Raiders need to shed troops to become salary cap compliant.

They wouldn’t need to shed Hayne to sign a player of Leilua’s calibre, either.

The Titans still have enough room in their salary cap to add a quality signing and a fringe first-grader seeking an opportunity.

Having already added Mitch Rein to their roster, Titans fans can expect more new faces to join the squad in the coming weeks.