KANSAS CITY —

Toronto FC wants a pair of veteran faces back in the club’s dressing room next season.

It’s now up to Robert Earnshaw and Bobby Convey to accept the club’s latest offers.

In a sit-down exclusive with the Toronto Sun prior to MLS Cup Saturday, TFC general manager Tim Bezbatchenko laid out the ins and outs of Toronto’s roster ahead of the official beginning of Major League Soccer’s off-season.

Darel Russell and Justin Braun won’t be back. Neither will Michael Thomas, Danny Koevermans and Stefan Frei.

As for Convey, who Bezbatchenko told the Sun “could be an important piece” next season, the Reds are attempting to make the veteran’s salary cap hit match his on-field production.

“Obviously his number is what it is,” Bezbatchenko said. “Because we (will) have a number of Designated Players where the number is higher, we need to make sure the numbers reflect the output.

“We’re talking to Bobby’s agent. He served us well and had a great year this year in terms of number of games played. He wasn’t injured so I think there could be something there.”

“It could go either way.”

The same goes for Earnshaw, whose representatives told the Sun they could have news regarding his potential future in Toronto this week.

With the addition of Bright Dike, the Reds appear to be in the driver’s seat in terms of negotiations. Assuming TFC makes good on promises to bring aboard an attacking DP before the holidays, Earnshaw would seem a nice-to-have player rather than a need.

“He’s a good guy in the locker room,” Bezbatchenko said of Earnshaw. “He’s respected worldwide. We’re in talks to bring him back at (a contract figure) that would be agreeable to both us and Earnshaw.”

Like Convey, that could be something significantly less than he has made his entire career, meaning the club is prepared for both not to move forward with the Reds next season.

“Whether or not it’s them or someone else, we’re going to find the pieces that will make this team better,” Bezbatchenko said.

At the moment, Toronto’s front office is focused on adding rather than subtracting from the roster.

So the situation with Richard Eckersley, who offered up his own eulogy at TFC’s season-ending press conferences, remains unresolved.

Toronto’s top brass has been clear that the contract former head coach Aron Winter signed the Englishman to didn’t make sense. His $400,000 salary has been an obstacle in Toronto’s attempts to squeeze in more talent under the league’s salary cap.

“I’ve been speaking with Richard and I’ve been speaking with his agent,” Bezbatchenko said. “Hopefully we can find a team for him (within the league). I don’t think that he’ll be back (in Toronto), but nothing has been decided with him … At the same time, we’re taking calls from other teams and discussing it.”

They’re discussing more than just Eckersley.

With the completion of the MLS Cup playoffs comes the opening of the league’s trade window Monday.

The Reds have made it clear they’re after “hardened” MLS players who have had success elsewhere in the league, players who will come in and compliment the two DPs the Reds are confident of landing in the coming weeks.

“Potentially there could be something next week,” Bezbatchenko said of an acquisition from within the league.

“We have a bunch of players. The list has been out. We’re just trying to figure out what’s going to stick.

“I think you’ll see us make some moves that are going to improve the team both in terms of players but also acquiring other assets that will help us improve not just for this year but in 2015-16.”

It’s part of the allure of MLS Cup weekend, when league executives are all packed into the same city, rubbing elbows on elevators and escalators.

“Do the deal,” league executive Jeff Agoos said to Bezbatchenko during our sit-down.

A joke, I suppose.

Or, just maybe, something more.