Bruce said: “Of course, we want our best players to remain at the club and Matthew Upson comes into that category. I will try my utmost to keep him.
“But I am not going to lie or pull the wool over anyone’s eyes. It is Matt’s prerogative is to keep his options open.
“He could have had the security of a big five-year contract but he decided not to take it.
“He’s got 19 months left of his current contract and, if he’s not going to sign a new one, then I can’t just let an asset walk away for nothing.”
Bruce added: “The Bosman situation is in my thoughts. We will address things and see what happens either in January or in the summer.
“I would have thought most clubs would want to see him playing week-in, week-out before they offered us any money for him.
“The most important thing, though, before any of this is that he gets back fit and on the pitch – and he won’t be far away after Wednesday.”
