SEN Breakfast journalist Sam Edmund has provided a trade update on two big name midfielders in Adelaide’s Brad Crouch and North Melbourne’s Shaun Higgins.
Crouch remains under contract, but with the turmoil going on at the Crows with their external review and reported desire to overturn their list, Edmund believes teams are asking the question.
“He’s chasing a five-year deal, he wants to stay at Adelaide, he might even win the best and fairest this year,” he told SEN Breakfast.
“He’s a restricted free agent next year so this would be the last chance the Crows would have to get something for him.
“There might only be one or two clubs that haven’t asked about him, they’ve come from absolutely everywhere.
“There’s no suggestion they want to shop him around yet, there’s a meeting this week with him and his manager.
“He wants to stay, admittedly on his own terms of course, so the ball is in Adelaide’s court with him.”
Higgins strongly denied reports that he had offers on the table from other clubs earlier in the year, but Edmund believes things are not locked away just yet.
“Watch this space on Shaun Higgins. For everything you hear, he remains a legitimate chance to leave North Melbourne this year as long as the Kangaroos insist on only being willing to consider a one-year extension,” he said.
“He’s contracted until the end of 2020, he wants more security than that.
“Geelong is prepared to give him that. They’ve made informal inquiries, which is why Higgins was able to dismiss those reports last month.
“I still think North give him the two years in the end, but if they don’t, he’s definitely going to look. He won’t move interstate, I can tell you that.”