Harry McKay’s management is set to hold “crucial meetings” with Carlton in the coming weeks as the club looks to lock away one of their prized assets, according to SEN Chief Sports Reporter Sam Edmund.
The 23-year-old gun forward is out of contract at the end of the season, with McKay remaining “relaxed” about where discussions currently sit.
“I want to talk about Coleman Medal leader Harry McKay,” he said on SEN Breakfast.
“His management will hold crucial meetings on his future next week with the Blues, the club and the player all wanted to get the first half of the season under the belt before talks ramp up on this new deal.
“Harry McKay has been really relaxed about it and there’s no conversations with other clubs at the moment, he’s highly likely to stay put and the line of communication has always been open between (Carlton) list manager Nick Austin and (McKay's) manager David Trotter.”
Edmund reports that Essendon has once again signalled their interest in McKay, saying they were just one of several clubs who were monitoring the situation.
“Essendon came hard last year when the Adam Saad move was in full swing,” he said.
“The Bombers are one of a number of clubs that have reached out. They’re very much keeping a close eye on things when it comes to Harry McKay.”
McKay’s twin brother Ben is currently also out of contract at North Melbourne, with the Roos working feverishly to lock away the key defender.
Edmund said the club and McKay’s management were close to finalising a new deal a few weeks ago, but talks were now “dragging on”.
“His new deal has been dragging on for a while at North Melbourne,” he said.
“They were close to reaching an agreement a few weeks ago and that has slowed down for some reason.”