WORCESTERSHIRE director of cricket Steve Rhodes says he desperately wants to retain all-rounder Gareth Andrew amid interest from local rivals Warwickshire.

The 27-year-old has served the New Road side with a 28-day notice to allow him to speak to other counties. His current contract is set to expire in Septem-ber after he joined the club in the autumn of 2007.

But it has been reported that Worcestershire’s old rivals, who arrive at New Road this evening for a Friends Life t20 clash, have targeted the former Somerset player to make the switch to Edgbaston.

Although Rhodes admits he may not be able to keep hold of Andrew, who is ranked number two on the Professional Cric-keters Association’s most valuable player list, he doesn’t want him to leave.

“We desperately want Gareth to stay,” the County chief said. “He is a good player and has done well this year — we are in the business of trying to keep good players.”

A move to Edgbaston from Worcestershire by Andrew is unlikely to go down well with the New Road faithful after he tweeted the morning after Tuesday night’s 10-run Nottinghamshire Outlaws defeat: “...On-wards and upwards for a huge game Friday. #ratherbeapear-thanabear.”

Andrew is likely to meet with Worcestershire officials to discuss a new deal once the County’s involvement in the t20 is over.

While Rhodes says there is no deadline on a decision from the big-hitting all-rounder, who turned down a move to Sussex last year to sign a 12-month contract extension, he would like to know sooner rather than later.

“We will try and piece together a deal for him to keep him at Worcester, because that is what we want,” the New Road chief said.

“There is no time scale set at the moment, but there will be a time when we have to put a deadline on it because we need to know ourselves so that we can move forward for next year.

“But players do leave — the club is the most important thing rather than any individual.

“If Gareth wants to move on then he will move on — I’m not going to be able to stop that.

“Hopefully he will make his decision before his contract runs out in September.”

Since arriving from his home county Somerset for the 2008 season, Andrew has improved each campaign. But it has been his performances in this year’s Twenty20 tournament that will have attracted attention from other counties.

He has hit three half-centuries with the bat, including a match-winning t20-best 65 not out at Warwickshire, as well as being the County’s joint-leading wicket-taker in the shortened format of the game with 17.

Andrew also has 25 wickets in LV= Championship Division One this term and is averaging 27 with the bat and a top score of 67 coming in at number seven.