Aberdeen chief executive Alan Burrows remains hopeful Jack MacKenzie and Jamie McGrath will sign new contracts.
Burrows says the Reds remain in “positive” discussions with both players and their representatives.
However, Aberdeen are already working on a plan-B if MacKenzie or McGrath opt to move on from Pittodrie.
Republic of Ireland international midfielder McGrath and left-back MacKenzie are both out of contract at the end of the season.
They will be free to sign a pre-contract agreement with another club when the winter transfer window opens on January 1.
Burrows said: “We remain in good dialogue with those players.
“We would like those players to stay, but we have also got to factor in Aberdeen and our squad planning both in January and the summer.
“The dialogue remains open and we remain hopeful they’ll stay.
“But if in a scenario whereby they don’t and leave at the end of their contracts, we’ll be planning in advance for that.
“But, at this stage in December, we’re still remaining positive and in positive discussions with the players and their representatives.”
Timeline on contract talks
Aberdeen director of football Steven Gunn reiterated there remains regular communication with MacKenzie and McGrath regarding new contracts.
However, he confirmed there will be a cut-off point and those talks will not continue until the end of the season if there is no resolution.
He says Aberdeen need to plan for next season – with or without MacKenzie and McGrath.
Gunn said: “The door is not closed on either of the players.
“Communication lines remain open and relatively regular.
“However, what we can’t do is continue to have that conversation right up until the summer.
“We need to plan appropriately, which we are doing.”
‘The control whilst the contract exists is with us’
Defender MacKenzie is reportedly on the radar of English clubs Sheffield United, Stoke City and Preston North End.
MacKenzie recently said he will have to address his Pittodrie future soon.
Pittodrie youth academy graduate MacKenzie, who has missed recent games due to injury, has been a key component in Thelin’s team this season.
MacKenzie’s form saw him receive a first ever call-up to the Scotland squad for the UEFA Nations League double-header with Croatia and Portugal in October.
The full-back did not get game-time for Scotland, however.
Midfielder McGrath has scored five times in all competitions this season.
The 28-year-old is joint-top in the Scottish Premiership for assists, with six.
Burrows said: “Contracts start, contracts expire. Every player has different priorities at any particular period of time.
“In a player trading model, if people value your players and want to come in and test the club out in terms of the resolve for any player, that happens.
“And that goes for players not just out of contract in the summer or the following summer or whatever… clubs will do that.
“What our club would do is weigh up anything that it may receive at any particular period of time against its short-term objectives and the impact that that would have on the team.
“And we would weigh that up as it comes along.
“There’s never a situation where we’re forced to have to sell players in that sense.
“The control whilst the contract exists is with us.
“The focus is on ‘let’s see what we can do with those players at a period of time’.
“And if we can’t do it, then we take a longer-term view.”
Talks ongoing with attacker Duk
Burrows also confirmed the Dons have opened talks with Duk regarding the Cape Verde international attacker’s future.
Duk is also out of contract at the end of season.
The 24-year-old attacker went AWOL during the summer, having failed to return for pre-season training.
Aberdeen confirmed in July Duk was the subject of internal disciplinary proceedings.
Duk returned to Pittodrie after the window closed and issued an apology.
The attacker’s former club Benfica are understood to be due 50% of any transfer fee.
Duk was taken back into the first team fold by boss Jimmy Thelin and set up Leighton Clarkson’s goal in the 1-1 draw with St Johnstone at the weekend.
Asked abut Duk’s contract situation, Burrows said: “We remain in talks with all the players who are currently out of contract, who we’d like to potentially engage.
“Some of those talks are more advanced than others, clearly.
“Hopefully we’ll be in a situation where we’ll have a bit of clarity on that in the not too dim and distant future.
“Clearly with the January window coming, we’re also looking forward to future windows, so we’ve got to understand what we’re going to do.”
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