Fremantle midfielder Caleb Serong has remained coy on the heavy links the club has with Melbourne star Kysaiah Pickett.
In recent reports, Pickett has been declared all but certain to join the Dockers at the end of 2025, despite having a further two seasons under contract at the Demons.
The notion of a move for the 23-yer-old comes after it was revealed last year that he flagged homesickness in his exit interview with Simon Goodwin, with the West Australian club and Port Adelaide sniffing around.
SEE MORE: Pickett or Warner? The trade dilemma that Fremantle faces in 2025
The pair of rivals were unable to pry Pickett from Melbourne, but believe they are more than capable of doing so within the next 12 months.
"It is understood the homesick star is now desperate to return to WA despite being contracted until the end of 2027," aย West Australian report read.
"Sources have told The West that talks between his management and Fremantle have been ongoing and that "a lot would have to go wrong" for Pickett to not end up in purple next season.
"Club insiders also told The West signing the 23-year-old was currently a high priority for the Dockers."
Serong, at the unveiling of the Fremantle and Indigenous All Stars jumpers for the upcoming clash on February 15, remained tight-lipped about the potential of playing with the star forward.
"We'll see how we go," Serong said.
"I knew that question was going to come up but there's a lot being spoken about.
"It's kind of weird that the trade period finished a couple of months ago and there's a lot of water to go under the bridge and a lot can change in a month let alone 10 months.
"He's an incredible player, a special player and we'll see how it goes."
Fremantle essentially gave up their pursuit of Pickett last year when it found out they were more likely to land Richmond starย Shai Bolton.
The Tigers received two first-round selections for the 2022 All-Australian, which is roughly where Pickett's value stands.
Amid the very early trade speculation, what has become apparent is the belief that Fremantle is quickly becoming a destination club.
Albeit welcoming those who have links to the state, the club has landed current stars Luke Jackson and Bolton, as well as Jordan Clark, Jaeger O'Meara, James Aish and Quinton Narkle in recent years.
Pickett's link continues to add to that narrative while Sydney's Chad Warner is also a player of interest.
"It's something that we're really proud of to be a club and place that people want to come to," Serong continued.
"We don't see it that way. We just have a lot of guys who love coming to work and being a part of what we're building and if that extends out to other clubs and other players seeing that as a place they want to come to, then that's amazing."
A key part of that culture is midfielder Andrew Brayshaw, who is entering the final year of his deal.
Brayshaw will field monumental offers from around the league specifically Victoria, with St Kilda, North Melbourne and Essendon expected to make a play.
