The contract was offered to the spinner the day he was returning to Pakistan after his first season there. However, Saqlain has not signed the contract.

Sources said Saqlain will first seek the permission from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) before agreeing to the offer.

An unconfirmed report said Saqlain has been offered a contract of 60,000 pounds after he finished his debut season with 38 wickets, including 10 wickets in a match on two different occasions.

Saqlain Mushtaq missed quite a few matches for Surrey as he played the Independence Cup and the Asia Cup for Pakistan.

Saqlain, who was a late-signing by Surrey, received 5,000 pounds a month. He was a replacement for demon fast bowler Waqar Younis who went to Glamorgan and won them their first county championship in 28 years.

Last month, Pakistan skipper Saeed Anwar also signed a one-year contract with Derbyshire at a lucrative amount of 65,000 pound. Anwar will get addition 25 pounds for each run he scores after completing 1,000-run mark.

Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram and Mushtaq Ahmad have already been booked by Glamorgan, Lancashire and Somerset respectively.

Paceman Mohammad Akram had an unsuccessful season with Northamptonshire who have returned to New Zealand's Chris Cairns who missed the just-concluded season because of knee injury.