Buyer beware: King's Amartey warning amid Carlton offer

Carlton are pushing hard to land Sydney free agent Joel Amartey this off-season.

According to SEN's Sam Edmund, the Blues have offered $1 million more than Sydney across their five-year offer for the 27-year-old's services, and while his preference is to remain a Swan, that $200,000-a-year difference could be enough to get him to shift to the Blues.

READ: Trade Bell: The gap in the Joel Amartey offers

Responding to those reports, SEN Fireball's David King thinks that offer is an 'overspend' on a player like Amartey, noting that it looms as a potential list error you can see before any signature is placed on the dotted line.

"I'm just having a look at a couple of the magnets that potentially might move clubs at the end of this season, and having a good chat about the finances that are involved," King said on SEN Breakfast.

"I'm looking at the Amartey deal, and I want to get your thoughts. This is just an off-the-cuff question. What are the potential list errors you can see in advance?

"I think Amartey's a big spend for what he's getting. They're both the same (a big spend and a bad spend).

"He's not a Butters (big spend). That's my point. He's not a needle-mover but is going to take a significant salary. I'm going to put that on the agenda, he's my one to watch."

While Amartey has enjoyed a solid 2026 campaign, kicking 28 goals from 15 games, it's yet to be seen whether he'll even earn a place in Sydney's Preliminary Final team against Fremantle after recovering from an Achilles injury.

Given Amartey is an unrestricted free agent, Sydney won't get the opportunity to match the offer if the key forward chooses to accept a deal from a rival club.