CHICAGO -- With rumors now circulating fast about his status for next season, White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said his return to the team next season is simple.

“I’m coming back if they pay me,” Guillen said after Sunday’s defeat against the Kansas City Royals.

Guillen said that although he has rarely been in touch with general manager Kenny Williams since the All-Star break, he would have no problem working with Williams in the future.

Nearly a month after dropping the bombshell that he isn’t returning for the final year of his contract unless he gets an extension for 2012, Guillen has not backed off that statement.

Guillen hopes that his eight years with the club have earned him the right to avoid lame-duck status next season. His contract is set to expire after the 2012 year.

Guillen has said that he has always allowed the White Sox to fill in his salary, but he wants more say in the process if he gets the formal sit down with chairman Jerry Reinsdorf that he is looking for. The two did speak on the field informally during batting practice Saturday.

Guillen is believed to be in line to make around $2 million next season with the White Sox. (Salaries for managers are not as available as player salaries.)

If Guillen was compared to other managers in terms of championships and years of service, the Angels Mike Scioscia might be a match. Guillen would hope for that anyway, since Scioscia recently agreed to a 10-year extension and is believed to make as much as $5 million per season.

Guillen isn’t necessarily looking for a 10-year deal, but he has said that he wants more than one year on an extension.

Scioscia, though, has won five division titles with the Angels and made six playoff appearances since 2000, while Guillen has won two division titles and been to the playoffs two times since 2004.