As we approach the January transfer window, it is an apt time to take a look at the Cardiff City players whose contracts are set to expire at the end of the season.
Loan deals aside, there are currently seven senior players whose deals end this term, with rival clubs almost certainly expected to be eyeing cut-price deals in this financially difficult year.
Neil Harris in recent weeks has alluded to the fact that conversations are being had in the background about some players extending their current deals, but it is unlikely all of them will be offered fresh terms.
Here, we look at each player and what the future will likely hold...
Junior Hoilett
The Canadian will go down as one of the best free signings in recent years, of that there is no doubt.
He was part of Neil Warnock's initial recruitment drive back in 2016 and he was virtually unplayable during the Bluebirds' 2017/18 promotion-winning season.
Hoilett will be 31 when his contract ends at the end of the season and whether he will be offered another is still very much anyone's guess.
He is clearly a favourite under Harris, who picks him more often than not when fit, and is clearly one of Cardiff's better technical players.
But during the last transfer window or two, there have just been whispers from across the pond of Hoilett potentially wanting to return to his native Canada and potentially enjoy his swansong in MLS.
Of course, whether that is to be believed is another thing all together, but, after four years in the Welsh capital, what will happen in Hoilett's immediate future is a tricky one to call.
Joe Bennett
The left-back has been a mainstay for years at Cardiff City Stadium, rarely being forced out after earning his spot in 2016.
Another player who has been a great servant, but has perhaps come under fire occasionally over the last 12 months or so, having spells of both excellent and poor form.
He, too, will be 31 when his contract ends, but it is difficult to envisage a scenario in which Cardiff do not offer him a new deal, given just how established he is in the starting XI.
Watford were reportedly interested in signing Bennett during the last transfer window and whether clubs will be interested in January, given his current contract situation, remains to be seen.
It would be surprising, however, if City were not working on something in the background here.
Greg Cunningham
Almost a carbon copy of the above situation, really. A left-back who will be 31 when his deal expires at the end of the current campaign.
The main difference, though, is that he is most certainly Bennett's understudy. His Cardiff career has not really gone the way he would have wanted, it is fair to say, having been bought from Preston for £4m ahead of the Premier League season.
He played second fiddle to Bennett in the Premier League and, with that set to continue last season, sought a loan away to Blackburn Rovers, where he sustained a horrible ACL injury after starting well at Ewood Park.
He has had terrible injury strife, to say the last, over the last 14 months or so and that has really hindered his progress at Cardiff City Stadium, because he is a player who is quite clearly a quality operator at Championship level.
Will Cardiff, who have promising left-back Joel Bagan snapping at the heels, have two 31-year-old centre-backs on new deals come next summer? The answer is a categorical no.
Whether that piques the interest of other Championship sides next month is potentially something worth keeping an eye on.
Sol Bamba
A bona fide Cardiff City legend, for what he did during the Bluebirds' promotion season and his partnership with Sean Morrison while in the Premier League.
A fan favourite, Bamba never truly recovered from that horrific injury he sustained in March 2019 against Watford and has struggled ever since to get back in the side.
There appears to be an acceptance of his role now, an experienced head on the bench who is excellent in the dressing room, a leader on the training ground and can be brought on to use his nous and see out games. But he is very much fourth-choice centre-back.
It is understood the Bluebirds have a role waiting for him when he eventually hangs up his boots, what capacity that is, exactly, is unknown just yet.
But he will be 36 in January and whether he will decide to stay on another season is up to Bamba himself. And given his importance to the club and the squad, albeit not necessarily in a playing capacity, you would think the club would pay to keep him around.
Whether he stays on to play another year or accepts this backroom role remains to be seen, but it would be a massive surprise if he upped sticks and went anywhere in January - or next summer for that matter.
Joe Day
Almost the forgotten man of Cardiff City.
The signing of the former Newport County goalkeeper ahead of last season raised a few eyebrows, especially with Alex Smithies and Neil Etheridge both in the squad at that time. One can only assume it was thought one of Smithies or Etheridge would leave, but that never happened.
He sought a loan move to Wimbledon last term and did really well there, it must be said, but given the quality of keepers at Cardiff, he was never going to get a look in for the first team.
It transpired that Etheridge did eventually leave at the beginning of this season, which naturally meant that Day would move up to assume the No.2 role, which addressed the balance far better.
However, a deadline day move for highly-rated Charlton keeper Dillon Phillips put paid to Day's hopes of providing stiff competition for Smithies.
With Wales Under-21 goalkeeper George Ratcliffe in the squad, too, there unfortunately appears to be little scope for Day to be offered a new deal of any sorts.
Mark Harris
Ahead of this season, Neil Harris took a little bit of a punt by handing Mark Harris a one-year contract.
The young striker had barely played for the first team and it was thought his days at City were numbered. When Kieffer Moore was brought in to challenge with Robert Glatzel for that spot up front, it appeared Harris would not get a look in.
But he has been mightily impressive in recent weeks, having been given a chance to play alongside Moore, and has brought another dimension to this City attack.
Indeed, the five games he has started this season Cardiff City have won four of them.
His future at Cardiff looked uncertain, to say the least, a few weeks back, but now it looks almost unthinkable he will not be offered an extension.
A big beneficiary of Neil Harris' drive to push through the youth and the 21-year-old striker has taken his chance so far, it must be said. If he keeps up this form then he should earn himself a new deal.
Tom Sang
Tom Sang was in the same boat as Harris, really, and was offered a one-year deal back in the summer.
In truth, it looked as though he was the one in pole position to have the more game time out of the two, but his path has gone a little differently.
After looking bright in a few pre-season games, it was decided that it would be best for all involved if he went out on loan to play regularly and penned a short-term deal at Cheltenham Town.
The midfielder, though, has been in and out of the team with the Robins, with that loan not appearing to have panned out as many had hoped, largely being kept out of the side by the impressive West Brom loanee Finn Azaz.
He has either started or been brought on in 11 games, so at least he's had some minutes, but it looks doubtful that will be enough to convince City to hand him a new deal.
Another one which will be interesting to track in the coming weeks.
