North Queensland chief executive Peter Parr admits the NRL club will have to play the waiting game if they are to re-sign star halfback Johnathan Thurston.

The 26-year-old Australia and Queensland halfback is off-contract at the end of the 2010 season and has been linked with moves to Japanese rugby, English Super League and other NRL clubs including the Bulldogs and Parramatta.

Thurston, who is currently in England with the Kangaroos, has been non-committal about his future plans, but Parr is confident the Cowboys can work out a deal to keep their star player in Townsville.

"I have a good relationship with Johnathan and we will hopefully get back to it when he is back from overseas," Parr told AAP.

"We have said all along we will have the discussions in the off-season, when that will be will be is down to Johnathan and his agent.

"We will commence talks whenever they are comfortable and not before."

Parr said he was wary about putting pressure on Thurston to extend his five-year stay at the club, but resigned to the fact his captain will have discussions with other potential suitors.

"I will be happy to let nature take its course, we want to re-sign him and we will do everything possible to do that," Parr said.

"But we don't want to put pressure on anyone including ourselves by putting a time frame on it.

"Timeframes can work on occasions but we don't think a timeframe is appropriate at this time.

"We are confident Johnathan will stay. I have always said if he stays in the NRL then it will be with the Cowboys.

"He is going to take his time to decide what he is going to do and has a lot of thinking to do."

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