It is meant to be. Just as all the praise for him that follows is meant to let him know how valuable he is to the team. It all adds up to "Danny we love you and want you to sign a new contract but don't let that loose cannon of an agent of yours think you can hold the club to ransom.
Exactly.
Contract negotiations are clearly ongoing- the agent's comment that a new contract hasn't been offered is probably technically accurate, as no contract will be formally offered until the terms are fully negotiated.
In other words, the club is being proactive, instead of reactive. In the past we would make grand public pronouncements about how much we love the player (thereby giving the player greater negotiating leverage), the player's agent makes bigger wage demands, the club either caves or the player agitates to leave at the end of the window with the club's negotiating position totally undermined- the world now nows that the club tried to sign the player, couldn't, and now is forced to sell.
In negotiating, like poker, it's usually best to not show your cards to the rest of the table.
