Fremantle has told rival clubs that Jesse Hogan is available on the cheap, with the Dockers willing to pay to move him on.
Hogan has a year to run on a three-year deal worth around $650,000 a season, but the Dockers put him on the trade table several weeks ago after a troubled two-year, 19-game stint back home in Perth.
The West Australian club has made it clear it will contribute to Hogan’s wage at another club next year.
The proposal is tempting a handful of clubs, who are wrestling with what is very much a risk-versus-reward scenario.
At 25, Hogan has time on his side, has sought professional help and has put things in place to resuscitate a stalled football career.
He is a long way off the player he was in 2018 when he kicked 47.23 for Melbourne at 23 years of age on a contract worth around $850,000 a season.
But the chance he could recapture that form is why clubs are considering what could prove to be a bargain buy.
Sydney and GWS are understood to have an interest, while multiple sources have indicated Richmond are considering Hogan in the belief their strong senior core and off-field support network would given them a good chance of making it work.