"As far as I'm concerned things haven't changed, he's within his rights to keep his options open," said Hughes.
"We want him to stay and we've offered him an improved contract, which he's not had a chance to look at.
"Ideally, we'd like Lucas to be signed up for the next three to four years but that won't happen in the short term.
"We think the right decision would be for him to stay here. We feel we're a good club, we're going places and he can be a major player here.
"If there are other options out there for him, then he may not have that standing at another club, so there's a lot to think over and weigh up.
"He has to make a decision that is right for him and his career."