West Coast champion Peter Sumich believes Richmond has out-of-contract Fremantle midfielder Adam Cerra in their sights.
The 21-year-old is currently weighing up whether to accept a lucrative offer to stay at the Dockers or return home to Victoria at the end of the season.
Cerra has impressed in his short time at the club and is averaging 21 touches and five marks per game in 2021.
Sumich says he’s heard Richmond are targeting Cerra as a long-term replacement for skipper Trent Cotchin, while he said uncontracted forward Shai Bolton would re-sign with the Tigers and isn’t likely to be involved in any possible trade.
“I’m hearing Richmond is into Adam Cerra without any trade (for uncontracted Richmond forward Shai Bolton coming back the other way),” he said on SEN WA Drive.
“They’re going to try get him and not worry about (Shai) Bolton, I think he’ll stay at the Tigers. They’ve won a couple of premierships and still have more to come in the next three or four years in my opinion.
“I’m hearing that they’re targeting him as a replacement for Trent Cotchin down the track, they want to get him in now and then in two or three years’ time when his best footy is behind him, they’ll look to use Cerra a bit more through the midfield. That’s what I’m hearing.”
Sumich urged Fremantle not to ask for an excessive amount in a trade if Cerra does signal his intention to leave the club and head home.
He said the Dockers couldn’t afford to let their emotions dictate trade demands, instead saying they’d be better off negotiating a deal that benefited them in the longer term.
“If Richmond is targeting (Adam) Cerra and he’s out of contract, you have to be careful,” he said.
“At the end of the day they’ll ask for a lot, but Cerra can go into the pre-season draft if they can’t get the deal done.
“As much as Fremantle should probably earn a top 10 pick out of (a trade) and maybe a rotation of a second rounder, they wouldn’t want to go over the top so they might not get anything.
“They can’t get emotional; you don’t always want or take more because a player like Cerra may want to go and then try and screw over other clubs because you’re upset.
“You’ll get it back down the track, that’s how it works. Clubs see that you’re doing the right thing, your day will come where you’ll get a little bit back and someone else will miss out.
“You just have to be patient and work with clubs if a kid wants to go home.”