Town boss Mick McCarthy expects the first-team regulars whose contracts are up at the end of the season but include options for further seasons to have them taken up by Blues owner Marcus Evans.
Left-back Jonas Knudsen’s additional year had to be triggered by the end of December but a number of players, including Cole Skuse, Bartosz Bialkowski, Teddy Bishop, Adam McDonnell, Luke Hyam, Kieffer Moore and Kevin Bru, have options which don’t have to be exercised until May.
McCarthy and his assistant Terry Connor are also out of contract at the end of the season with their contracts including an option for two further years.
David McGoldrick’s deal is up at the end of June but with no option for an additional year in the Irish international's contract.
Asked whether there are plans to talk to any of the regular first-teamers regarding extending their time at Town, manager McCarthy said: "There are [a number of them in that position], but the job for them is to keep doing what they do and likewise myself. You keep coming in and working to the best of your ability.
"It can be difficult, we saw that with Chambo [last season]. I’d hate to think there’s any doubt - and there isn’t in my mind - that the players who have got options that we’d be taking those options up.
"But that might not be my job, that might not be my task. But I would think that would be the case because the players are good and they’ve got to keep playing.
"And, do you know what, if the options are not taken up or whatever happens, it’s their job to keep playing and do the best they can for themselves and also in doing so the best for the club and the team they play in.
"And if ever there’s a shining example of that it’s Luke Chambers from last season when even on deadline day at 12 o’clock I’m still talking to people, to Nottingham Forest, to agents purporting to represent him, ‘Can he go? Can we do a deal? Can we give you this player instead of him?’.
"And all throughout it he kept his sanity as much as anything, and his focus, and there was only day, and I think it was that day, when he lost the plot a bit, ‘Come on, what’s happening?’.
"I still didn’t know and I still had to try and encourage him and he was brilliant and we’ve seen the response as well this year. He deserved his contract and he’s a top man, a great captain.”
McCarthy has no concerns about clubs approaching the players who have only six months left on their deals during the January window.
"They can speak to them, but they’re under contract,” he said. "If anyone’s sniffing around or wants to talk to them there’s nothing they can do because they’ve got an option, so they’ve all [with the exception of McGoldrick] got 18 months to run effectively.
"And pretty much that’s a safeguard. At times I know people think that’s a bit unfair. The reason why it’s done is that if there is ever a relegation battle at the end of a season like there was last year, those players who have got an option, that’s exactly what it is. Marcus has got an option on them, probably at 30 per cent or 50 per cent less of their wages.
"And they know if that option is taken up if we get relegated they’ve still got to be here, they can’t just walk out of the club.
"And I think it’s brilliant, I think it’s a good mechanism. How many times do you see it when the team gets relegated and five or six players say, ‘See you, all the best, good luck, I’m off somewhere else’? Can’t happen. It’s a shrewd move by Marcus.
"We’re not in that position, thankfully, and I hope we don’t end up in that position, but the club holds the cards in terms of their contracts. And I guess they’ve got to earn their [new terms].
"I think they have, the ones who have I think they’ve all earned their recognition and getting their contracts but it’s not me that deals with that.”