Former world champion has just NINE months left on his WWE contract and insists he is 'not taking anything for granted' ahead of talks over a new deal... with a list of stars set to be free agents this summer

A former WWE world champion has admitted he's not 'taking anything for granted' with his contract set to expire.

The main event talent, who has spent nearly a decade with the company is one of several top stars that whose contracts are currently due to run out in the coming months.

The news comes after reports earlier this week claimed WWE had released Olympic gold medal-winning amateur wrestler Gable Stevenson.

In a recent interview, Kevin Owens revealed he hopes to strike a new deal with the company before his current deal runs out in early 2025.

'I really don’t take anything for granted, I’ve nine months left on my contact, and I don’t know what can happen from here on out,' Owens told Metro.

However, the former Ring of Honour star insisted that he hopes his future lies in the WWE. 

'This has been my home for 10 years and it’s beyond the locker room.' He continued.

‘There’s some very, very, very special people that work behind the scenes that I’ve become very close with, and I really can’t imagine not seeing them as part of my life.' 

At WrestleMania 40 in Philadelphia last month, Owens competed in a triple threat match with Randy Orton and Logan Paul for the latter's United States championship, with the social media star retaining his title after interference from IShowSpeed.

Multi-time women's champion Becky Lynch is another star who is set to soon be a free agent pending a new deal.

In an appearance on the MMA Hour in April, Lynch revealed she had yet to be offered a new deal despite entering the final weeks of her contract with WWE.

'It's the final two months. You wanted me to be honest.' Lynch told Ariel Helwani. 

'At this stage in the game, contrary to a lot of the thoughts in this book from when I was coming up, I am so confident in my ability and my worth.'