Steve Morison has revealed Cardiff City have tabled contract offers to some of their players but they have been rejected and has warned players and agents not to "take the p***" when it comes to negotiations.
It's no secret that Cardiff are looking to be more frugal with their contract negotiations this summer as they try to tie players down to new deals. There are 10 senior players out of contract at Cardiff this summer and, at present, there is no suggestion we are any closer to seeing them commit their futures to the club.
The Bluebirds have, however, done well to lock in the likes of Isaak Davies, Jai Semenyo and Oliver Denham, but Morison said there have been further negotiations with other younger players over getting new deals over the line. At time of writing, though, Morison said those contracts have been knocked back.
"We've put a few offers to a few of our players which have been rejected by agents etc. So we will sit tight on them," he told WalesOnline.
"It's a bit like January when you are just waiting for people. I've put a lot of stuff in motion and you're just waiting for people. For some reason, when you put something to people, they say 'Give me two weeks to think about it'. It's a bloody long thinking process, that! I don't think it needs to take that long.
"It's more the younger players. We have put some offers and as I said at the start, if you think you are going to just keep getting money because you want money, it'll be an interesting time. Offers have been made, there is a little wiggle room as always. I don't want to swear, but don't try and take the p***."
Meanwhile, there is seemingly no update on the 10 senior players — Alex Smithies, Sean Morrison, Aden Flint, Joe Ralls, Will Vaulks, Marlon Pack, Leandro Bacuna, Isaac Vassell, Ciaron Brown and Josh Murphy — who see their deals run out in a few months' time.
The manager did confirm, though, that conversations are ongoing, but the situation is delicately balanced.
"Conversations are in progress like they are all the time. I can't see anything happening anytime soon," he added. "Obviously, it works both ways at the end of the day. They are out of contract, so I'm sure their agents are talking to people.
"We are still umming and ahhing over people in terms of who do we keep, because we are always going to have to find out who we can get as well. You don't want to burn any bridges, either, and then you get six weeks down the line and it's like, 'Could that be a yeah now?'
"It's a working process. But hopefully, if everything goes according to plan it'll work out well."
