Adelaide United's mesmerising visa contingent – the bedrock of their success under coach Josep Gombau – have their futures up in the air while Melbourne Victory face a serious salary cap squeeze. Mass changes will take place at the struggling Newcastle Jets and Central Coast – and the two could be in direct competition if the Jets maintain their interest in Mariners' all-time leading scorer Matt Simon. An offer could materialise soon. But the rush to sign players is not what it used to be. In fact, it is often quite the opposite, according to player agent Tony Rallis. "Clubs are much sharper these days with their recruiting, who they want to bring in and how long they want those players to stay for," he said. "The market is a bit different these days to what it was when the A-League began. Nobody used to think much about handing out a three-year deal but that hardly ever happens these days unless it's a top young prospect like [Newcastle winger] Andrew Hoole, who will join Sydney FC next season." Sky Blues chief executive Tony Pignata certainly is not in any rush to sign up their catalogue of existing talent – nor is his coach, Graham Arnold.

"I'm always of the view that it's better to re-sign a player than to bring in the same player from elsewhere," Pignata said. "But equally, our position is that there's no need to get everyone signed up just yet. 'Arnie' has an idea about what his squad will be like going forward and our view is that if these players do well, they'll be in the box seat to get new contracts. "But the market is wide open at the moment and you never know what opportunities might present themselves." Of all the A-League clubs, the Sky Blues probably have the most high-profile decisions to make. Storied names like Shane Smeltz, Nicky Carle and Sasa Ognenovski are all off-contract but it would seem that only Smeltz is a chance to stay. Both Carle and Ognenovski are toying with retirement after season-ending injuries. Striker Marc Janko has been fielding overseas interest but will not be retained on his luxurious marquee wages – 1.4 million a season – if he does stay on.

Loan star Bernie Ibini will have to return to his parent club if a new deal cannot be agreed with Shanghai Dongya. Corey Gameiro has serious talent but the Sky Blues are worried his knee injury will see him miss all of the next pre-season. Hagi Gligor and Peter Triantis could be offloaded while Matt Jurman, plus fan favourites Sebastian Ryall and Rhyan Grant, may have to accept pay cuts. Arnold is planning to recruit aggressively and Zac Anderson, frozen out at Central Coast, is a target. The electrifying Ben Khalfallah is the priority for Melbourne Victory but the Tunisian's decision could act as a roadblock, according to Rallis. "They've got Besart Berisha and Mark Milligan as their marquees, so he has to stay inside the cap if they want to keep him," he said. "If his next deal is worth $350,000, Kevin Muscat may look across his squad, see where he has cover and see if he can offload a high-earning player or two. But if Ben Khalfallah goes, those players might be spared." One player who might be squeezed out is Daniel Georgievski, the western Sydney-raised Macedonian international. He impressed early but Muscat has preferred Jason Geria and Scott Galloway – both uncontracted – ever since.

th Goalkeeper Nathan Coe will be offered a new deal but it may be on reduced terms, with Victory looking for a top-of-the-range custodian. While Adelaide's off-contract list reads like a Latin buffet for opposition clubs, agent Ritchie Hinton is not sure the Reds will break up. "I think a lot of those guys – Marcelo Carrusca, Isaias [who extended his contract on Thursday night] in particular – will be pretty keen to stay and probably Pablo Sanchez," he said. "What's more interesting is what might happen with Awer Mabil and Osama Malik and a few others. Young Australian players of that calibre are really hard to find and Adelaide could have trouble replacing them." Mabil recently trialled with Ajax Amsterdam and is free to go in the months to come – likewise Malik, who is eyeing a move to Europe.

The re-signing of wing-back Tarek Elrich, combined with the arrival of Jimmy Jeggo, has limited chances for silky utility Cameron Watson. Perth Glory are battling to keep Rostyn Griffiths, the unsung hero of their excellent campaign. The ex-Blackburn Rovers midfielder is said to have his heart set on an overseas move. Dino Djulbic has a second-year option available but has not exercised it yet. Fellow defender Riley Woodcock has plenty of admirers elsewhere. Western Sydney did most of their dealings in January but rumours abound that more Wanderers' players could be on their way out. Tomi Juric will seek a move to Europe when his contract expires – the club missing a $2.5 million transfer fee from Shanghai Shenhua after the striker turned down a huge contract – and Italian midfielder Iacopo La Rocca may be headed home, too.

Off-contract Melbourne City pair Damian Duff and Rob Wielaert look to have played their last A-League matches after suffering significant injuries this past week. Goalkeeper Tando Velaphi seems likely to be released with John van 't Schip preferring a gloveman to challenge the contracted Andrew Redmayne. Home town trio Patrick Kisnorbo, Massimo Murdocca and Mate Dugandzic are all without deals beyond May. Hinton doubted many Australians abroad would be coming back next season. Loading "Most of the good ones are either already back or playing in lower leagues," he said. "There might be some decent ones – [Bradford City's] James Meredith, for example – but I don't see too many returning."

Having starved off Chinese bids for Nathan Burns, Wellington want Dutchman Roly Bonevacia to commit long term – and even have hopes of naturalising him, which would require a four-year deal.