Essendon list manager Adrian Dodoro insists the club is seriously interested in Gold Coast’s Jack Bowes.
The Suns are prepared to part with both Bowes and pick 7 as they look to shed some money from their burgeoning salary cap.
Geelong has been heavily linked with Bowes already, while Hawthorn is keen and it now it has been confirmed by Dodoro that the Bombers are also interested.
Despite the 24-year-old having played plenty of his footy with the Suns off half-back, the Dons see him as developing into an inside midfielder.
Asked on AFL Trade Radio if Bowes is a player of interest, Dodoro said: “Yes, certainly.
“He’s probably a high priority for us. He’s someone that we’ve tracked over the last couple of years, so it’s not been something that we’ve thought about over the last couple of days.
“We have a need for a big inside mid and we think he’s got the scope to really help us.”
Does the club have a timeline on his decision?
“No we haven’t, we’re just guided by him and (his manager) Rob D’Orazio, so we’ll wait and see what happens,” added Dodoro.
Bowes remains contracted to the Suns until the end of 2024, but looks highly likely to leave the club this trade period.
Another player the Bombers have had interest in of late is Jordan De Goey, who last week re-signed with Collingwood.
However, Dodoro acknowledges his club never really gained momentum in their De Goey pursuit
“I don’t think that there was much traction there,” he said.
“When Ben Rutten was here as coach he was pretty keen on him, but once Ben left the club then that sort of fell away.
“We didn’t get any momentum, to be honest.”