Melbourne is reportedly preaching patience with out-of-contract livewire forward Kysaiah Pickett in regards to an extension.
Pickett, who was selected by the Dees with the No. 12 pick at the 2019 National Draft, will see his current contract expire at the conclusion of this season, with Melbourne said to be extremely keen to retain the match-winner's services beyond this year.
The Age's Peter Ryan reports the Demons believe that they have surrounded Pickett, a West Australian who boarded in South Australia, with a positive environment and are confident in their ability to re-sign the goalsneak to a long-term contract, however, they won't press for a quick decision from the youngster.
The Pickett situation surfaces a year after incessant speculation surrounding ruckman Luke Jackson's clouded future Melbourne, with the young dominant force ultimately departing Gosch's Paddock for Fremantle during the trade period.
Port Adelaide had reportedly shown interest in 'Kozzie' during last year's trade period, with the Power, among other clubs, tipped to express interest in Pickett throughout this year.
Melbourne list manager Tim Lamb claimed a move linking Pickett to the Power was "crazy talk" in October last year,
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The Power's trade hand will be substantially weaker however, having traded away their first-round pick for this year's draft in a deal that landed with Jason Horne-Francis in 2022.
Considering the supposed likelihood that Melbourne will allow Pickett to take all the time he needs to come to a decision on his future, like the Jackson circumstance of 2022, we could be speculating for a while yet.