In-form Suns forward Izak Rankine is tipped to extend his stay in Queensland, and in doing so will knock back a reported "mammoth" offer from Essendon.
The Bombers have recently emerged as keen suitors for the Gold Coast gun, who is yet to re-sign with the Suns beyond 2022.
The 22-year-old remains as the Suns' last key retention call of the year, having managed to stave off interstate interest to secure forward Ben King and utility Jack Lukosius to new deals.
Rankine is likely to have garnered interest from both South Australian clubs in hope of luring the lively goalsneak back to his home state, while the Bombers have looked to ruffle their feathers with interest of their own.
Despite any external advances, reports suggesting Rankine will re-sign have only continued to grow, with the West Adelaide product expected to sign on the dotted line and add to his three-year career in the Sunshine State.
While a done deal is seen as imminent,ย 3AW'sย Sam McClure has revealed that Essendon have tabled a long-term deal in to Rankine, hoping to shift his attention to a potential move to Victoria.
โIzak Rankine is staying at Gold Coast which is great news for them,โ McClure said.
โThe Bombers were hugely interested in him and depending who you talk toโฆ there'd be people up north saying Essendon offered a huge and mammoth five-year deal to Izak Rankine.
โEssendon will say they didnโt offer a deal and simply spoke to his management.
โ$800,000 per season are the numbers that have been thrown around when you talk to clubs and industry figures, but Essendon are adamant that is not correct.
โItโs always difficult to know what is right and what is beaten up โ particularly when a player has told a club he is not coming โ so itโs all hard to know but all I can say is Izak Rankine is going to stay at the Gold Coast Suns which is really good news.โ
Essendon are expected to be equipped with plenty of salary space this season, with Rankine unlikely to be their only high-priced target this season.
McClure has also linked the Bombers to out-of-contract Giants star Tim Taranto, while another wave of interest in fellow Giant Bobby Hill is yet to emerge.
Essendon were in deep talks with the Giants to secure Hill at the end of last year after the young forward requested a move to Victoria, with a deal between the two parties falling through.
With Hill out of contract this year and Rankine seemingly out of Essendon's reach, another play for the former may be on the horizon for the Tullamarine club.
Essendon have continued to build a youthful list as they look to work themselves back into premiership contention, having re-signedNikolas Coxย (2024),ย Sam Durhamย (2024),ย Nick Hindย (2024),ย Kyle Langfordย (2026),ย Jayden Laverdeย (2025),ย Nic Martinย (2024),ย Archie Perkinsย (2024),ย Zach Reid (2025) this year alone.
