Glamorgan chairman Paul Russell insists the club are still focused on returning Simon Jones to full fitness despite Hampshire's approach for the England paceman.

The Welsh county have given Hampshire permission to speak to Jones, who terrorised Australia's batsmen during the victorious Ashes summer of 2005 but has since been severely hampered by knee and calf injuries.

However, Russell is adamant Glamorgan want to keep Jones when his central contract expires and believes the club can help the 28-year-old sharpen up ahead of the 2009 Ashes.

Glamorgan's Sophia Gardens ground, which is currently undergoing a £9.3million revamp, will host one of the Test matches during that series.

"The contract talks are detailed and deep," Russell said.

"It is more complex than saying, 'Right here's a certain amount per year', because Simon has spent the last 12 months rehabilitating himself from a major injury and a couple of minor ones as well.

"What we have said to him is that now is the time to set yourself an objective and that objective is to play for England in the 2009 Ashes series, particularly at Sophia Gardens.

"Counting back from that we are looking at the kind of stages he needs to reach to achieve that and how he's going to get to it.

"That's the kind of plan we are putting together with Simon at the moment and he is working very closely with our cricket manager Matthew Maynard to flesh out that plan."

Jones has not played for England since the fourth Test at Trent Bridge in 2005, while his fitness problems have also limited him to a handful of county appearances over the past two years.

Russell insists, however, that allowing Hampshire to talk to Jones is not an admission that the star is certain to leave.

"Our intention is to keep him and we are working towards that," Russell added.

"However, we have to be responsible in our planning and discussions. We are not seeking peace at any price, as it were, because we don't think that would be the right thing both for Simon and the club.

"We are obliged to give Hampshire permission to speak to Simon, and it's a matter of professional courtesy that both they asked us and that we said yes.

"A number of our other players are subject to such enquiries as well. This is what happens at the end of the season, it's just that Simon is such a high-profile player that people have seized on this as a lack of interest on our part."