We should give Gaff permission to make his mind up - and that includes if he wants to chat to other clubs.
The negligible benefit of having him around the club now, is more than offset by the potential benefit of knowing in advance our list management strategy
If he is leaving, we will know the salary - then that allows us to either work out how we match or how we replace him in the squad.
Much better alternative than finding out in a couple of months and we're caught with our pants down