CARLTON has refused to guarantee the long-term future of its hottest property, Brendan Fevola, despite the star spearhead's breathtaking form and seemingly reformed off-field behaviour.

Fevola will fall out of contract within months. Although some senior figures at Carlton favour a one-year deal in a bid to keep the erratic star "honest", the 27-year-old is certain to be offered longer-term contracts by competing clubs desperate for a proven goalkicker.

The Age believes that Fevola is on the verge of signing an agreement with a new management team, having abandoned earlier intentions of handling his own affairs alongside those of his wife, Alex.

The Carlton full-forward split with his long-time manager Paul Connors late last year and is understood to have been holding talks with Velocity Sports, the relatively new company that includes Michael Voss and Alastair Lynch as directors.

Carlton chief executive Greg Swann refused to speculate on Fevola's potential new deal but stressed the club had no intention of bringing talks forward as a result of the player's blistering recent form — he has kicked 22 goals in the past three games and is second only to Hawk Lance Franklin on the AFL's goalkicking list.

Asked whether the club would stand firm in its vow to sack Fevola should he commit another off-field transgression, Swann replied: "I would. Perhaps that's one of the reasons he's playing good footy. Perhaps that is why he is doing so well. Perhaps the penny has dropped."

Fevola faced suspension after urinating on the window of a nightclub in Prahran on the eve of the season but received a reprieve at the behest of his leadership group.

The Blues' new captain, Chris Judd, and his leadership team pushed Carlton's management not to suspend Fevola but to instead try for the first time to get to the bottom of the player's problems.

To date, Fevola has adhered to the club's regime, including regularly attending counselling organised by the AFL Players Association and remaining alcohol-free.

Fevola admitted he had a problem with binge drinking and vowed through a friend to remain alcohol-free for the rest of his AFL career.

Although the club is cautiously optimistic that Fevola will stick to his convictions, his recent brilliant form has not swayed Swann or the board in contractual terms. "We spoke with Brendan at the start of the year," Swann said, "and we said we would talk about his contract at some point towards the middle of the year and he's happy with that."

The tricky question of Fevola's management has led a number of player agents to show interest in the Carlton forward after his shock split with Connors. Fevola has indicated he is unwilling to negotiate a new contract until he has a manager on board and the player has been holding talks with Velocity's Melbourne representative, Mark Kleiman, and is expected to meet Lynch, who is due to fly to Melbourne in a bid to secure Fevola. Velocity Sports also manages Brisbane Lions leaders Jonathan Brown and Simon Black and has 28 players.

Carlton's faith in Fevola was further underlined when the player made his 2008 debut on Channel Nine's The Footy Show last Thursday night, a situation the Blues have never relished in the belief the player did not always place himself or his club in a positive light. Carlton even looked at paying Fevola extra money under its additional services allowance to keep him off the show until it found out Nine was paying him an estimated $80,000 a year. But the club was relatively impressed with Fevola's performance and will try to restrict him to his contracted four-show minimum.