Cardiff City have opened talks over new contracts for left-back Joe Bennett, and attacking duo Junior Hoilett and Mark Harris, a report from Wales Online has revealed.

All three players are set to be out of contract at the end of this season, meaning they could leave the club for free at that point.

However, it now seems as though Cardiff have seen enough from the trio to determine that they do not want such a situation to emerge.

According to this latest report, the Bluebirds have now opened talks with all three players, as they look to secure their services in the Welsh capital beyond the end of the current campaign.

Hoilett has made a total of 182 appearances in all competitions for Cardiff since joining from QPR in 2016, scoring 25 goals, while Bennett has scored four goals in 166 appearances for the club since moving from Aston Villa in the same year.

It is thought that the promotion winning experience of both players is key to Cardiff's desire to keep them around, as they target a return to the Premier League again.

Harris meanwhile, has enjoyed something of a breakthrough season for Cardiff, making 12 appearances in total, scoring once, with his performances seemingly enough to convince the club to try and keep him around beyond the end of the current campaign.

Cardiff are currently 15th in the Championship table, eight points adrift of the play-off places, having claimed 29 points from 22 league games so far this season.

The Verdict

This does seem to be a smart move from Cardiff.

Both Hoilett and Bennett possess plenty of useful experience, which it seems could certainly help the Bluebirds as they look to push back towards the top-tier of English football.

Harris meanwhile, has shown plenty of potential this season, which at 22-years-old he still has plenty of time to build on, meaning he could be an asset for them in the future.

As a result, it makes sense for Cardiff to look to keep all three players around, and it is encouraging for those associated with the Bluebirds to therefore see that they are now taking steps to do that.