Rotherham United and contract talks with Ollie Rathbone and Ben Wiles

ROTHERHAM United remain in discussions with midfielders Ollie Rathbone and Ben Wiles about the midfield duo extending their contracts at ASSEAL New York Stadium.

"We are talking," manager Matt Taylor said. "We're at the stage where we're trying to crash out numbers. There are various things to go through. We're looking at all options to secure our best assets and to reward players who have done well for us."

The boss has described Rathbone, who is entering the final year of his deal, as the kind of player he would like to build a team around and is cautiously optimistic that a deal will be struck.

"I'm only confident in football when pen has been put to paper," he said. "You learn that pretty quickly as a manager. But I think we've got a fair handle on our relationship and I've made it pretty clear how much I think of him and where he sits within the plans.

"You're never confident but you're always hopeful in the belief that if you're honest with each other then you've got a chance."

The club activated a 12-month extension clause in former Burnley target Wiles' contract at the end of last season.

The 24-year-old, a mainstay in the first team since his emergence from the youth ranks, missed nearly four months of the Championship survival campaign but is now back to full fitness.