MAYA Yoshida is the one glaring absentee on Saints' contract checklist as Jack Stephens and Sam Gallagher prepare to put pen to paper on long term deals.

Saints have gone about extending players' contracts over the past 12 months, with virtually all of their key men signed up until 2020 and beyond.

Centre-back Stephens and striker Gallagher are the latest to be offered improved terms, with the club preparing to announce those contracts along side the arrival of Polish defender Jan Bednarek.

Big guns Virgil van Dijk (2022), Ryan Bertrand (2021) and Oriol Romeu (2021) are all tied to lengthy deals at St Mary's, while most other regulars have also signed up for the next three years.

However, with one year remaining on his current contract, the one omission from that list is Yoshida, who as things stand will be Van Dijk's regular partner at centre-back next season.

Saints are well aware of Yoshida's situation and will look to avoid letting his contract wind down, having last handed him a new deal in January 2015.

The Japan international has increasingly been a prominent figure at St Mary's, with last season under Claude Puel by far his best since arriving from Dutch side VVV Venlo in 2012 in a £3m transfer.

The 28-year-old appeared 37 times last term in all competitions, including 23 starts in the Premier League, and was a mainstay in the team after Jose Fonte's January exit to West Ham and Van Dijk's season-ending injury.

Yoshida also captained Saints in the 1-0 win at West Bromwich Albion in the top-flight in April and is now a well respected member of the team following a difficult period during Ronald Koeman's reign at St Mary's.

With Stephens - Yoshida's partner at the back during the second half of the season - already getting a bumper new deal, there is certainly scope for the Japanese to be handed his own extension.

Saints are also well aware that Jeremy Pied and Florin Gardos' contracts are up next summer too.

But the club will be keen to wait on how things unfold for them under Mauricio Pellegrino next season.

Pied was very much a Puel signing last summer, with the right-back previously working under the Frenchman at Nice and Lyon.

He is still virtually an unknown quantity at Saints after spending the majority of the season sidelined with a serious knee injury.

After Cuco Martina's release, Pied is now the only senior back-up to Cedric Soares on the right side of defence, and will be keen to impress the Argentine if he's given the chance.

Gardos meanwhile has played just one game in two seasons and will know that next season is likely to be his last chance to make anything of his Saints career.

The central defender is fit, though, having been called up to Romania national team and will be heading into pre-season knowing he must impress Pellegrino.