Ross County manager Malky Mackay has revealed the Staggies have opened talks with a number of players over contract extensions.
Winger Regan Charles-Cook, who is the Premiership’s joint leading scorer on nine goals, is among County’s list of players out of contract at the end of the season.
Harry Paton, Jordan White and Jordan Tillson are also among those whose deals expire in the summer.
With those players free to speak to other clubs, Mackay says efforts are under way to tie down several members of his squad on longer-term deals.
Mackay said: “I’m talking to three or four about that.
“It’s at a point where there are contracts that can run down, and I get that as well. We will give our best offer, and see whether that suits people or whether it doesn’t.
“I won’t hold that against anybody at all. As long as everyone shows me they’re committed to the football club right now, they will keep playing. The minute they don’t, they won’t be involved.
“Players need to have a calm head about where they are, if the grass is greener, and why they’re doing what they’re doing and how long that should last – and specifically when the best time would be to move.
“All of those things are important in terms of their own career development. It’s easy to jump quickly to something without understanding why you’re getting success in the first place, and thinking that that success will help you immediately hit the ground running at the next place.”
Mackay looking to implement long-term recruitment strategy
County have six players on loan from English clubs at present, while Harry Clarke and Alex Robertson cut short temporary spells after spending the first half of the season at Dingwall.
Mackay is keen to implement a longer-term recruitment strategy in the months to come.
He added: “For the long term, we will start to change at the club in terms of contracts so that there is protection for the club.
“What I want to get to is that we develop players – whether that’s buying or bringing through.
“We then reward them by giving them a contract while they’re here and not out of contract to reward what they’ve done for the club.
“Then eventually there will come a point, because we are a selling club, where you’re bringing in players, developing them, rewarding them and then selling them.
“At the moment we’re dealing with the cards we’ve got from the start of the season to the squad that we have now, but certainly we’re looking for more and more people that we bring in on contracts to be here a bit longer like Jack Baldwin.”
Goalkeeper Munro will remain at Dingwall
One player who will not be leaving Victoria Park is third-choice goalkeeper Ross Munro, who has yet to feature for the Staggies this season.
Munro has previously spent loan stints with Raith Rovers, Cowdenbeath and Annan Athletic.
Mackay is keen to keep three goalkeepers at the club, however, with Logan Ross having been loaned out to Lossiemouth.
He added: “At the moment Ross is our third goalkeeper. Ross is a terrific young professional who we need here in case one of the other guys goes down, simple as that.
“He trains with me every day, and he’s immaculate in his training.
“It’s why he travels with us, it’s why he’s around the squad and goes on the pitch for home and away games. He’s an absolute model young pro.
“Young Logan Ross underneath him keeps watching him and looking at what he does, and, if Logan is to act like Ross over the next couple of years, he will have a good chance of making it.
“We have no plans to loan out Ross at the moment.”
