Port Adelaide pair Zak Butters and Ryan Burton are reportedly on the verge of extending their stays with the club ahead of their final seasons on their current deal.
Both the defender and hybrid threat are set to come out of contract at the cessation of the 2022 season, however, each appears likely to be tabled fresh deals in the near future.
As first reported by Andrew Hayes onย 7News Adelaide,ย Butters and Burton are said to be nearing an agreement to remain in silver, teal, black and white.
Still, when speaking with Port legend Kane Cornes on SEN radio on Wednesday morning, Hayes was unable to confirm the length of each prospective contract.
โIn terms of the length weโre not really sure, but what we do know is that we could probably expect something coming up pretty shortly, which is good news,โ Hayes said.
While injuries cruelled a sizable portion of Butters' 2021 campaign, the forward-come-midfielder's ceiling as a footballer suggests that a stellar season could be on the cards this winter.
Due to this, Hayes held the view that while Port Adelaide is in the box seat to retain the Victorian, a shift back across the border could well prove far more fruitful.
โHeโs worth $700 to $800,000 to stay at Port, and some Victorian club would pay him over $900,000, I reckon," Hayes pontificated.
โThatโs huge money. But when you listen to them talk about him, everyone just raves about him. Ken Hinkley says heโs the best of the lot.โ
Butters and Burton make up just a fraction of the Alberton crowd that will be out of contract by season's end, with Travis Boak, Robbie Gray, Karl Amon, Dan Houston and Connor Rozee's deals all set to expire.
Speaking in late January of this year, Rozee expressed that while a fresh agreement was yet to amount, his preference was to remain on under Ken Hinkley's stewardship.
"I leave that sort of stuff mostly to my manager," Rozee said of the contractual minutiae.
"I think they're slowly talking with the club at the moment, and hopefully sometime soon or during the year we'll get that sorted, but it's not a massive priority at the moment.
"I really enjoy playing for Port Adelaide and have loved my first four years here so I'm sure that will get put to bed soon.
"I obviously love playing in Adelaide and am an Adelaide boy, so hopefully down the line we can get that sorted."
Port Adelaide will set their latest season in motion when they face fellow 2021 finalists in Brisbane at the Gabba on Saturday, March 19.
