Sydneyย have tabled a four-year contract extension for emerging young forward Logan McDonald.
Taken with Pick 4 in the 2020 National Draft, McDonald was able to feature on seven occasions in his first season with the Swans, booting nine goals in forging a partnership with veteran spearhead Lance Franklin.
McDonald, a Western Australian product, is set to weigh up his future in 2022 as his rookie contract comes to an end.
Anticipated to receive interest from the Eagles and Dockers as a potential lure back to his home state, the Swans are moving to lock away the talented teenager to a long-term extension.
While a number of prominent young guns from his fellow draft class have already re-signed past 2022, McDonald remains among the remaining top selections from 2020 yet to recommit.
However, the Swans' tabled long-term extension has sparked discussions between McDonald in his agent, as both parties look to work through an agreed deal.
โThe Swans are very keen to extend Logan,โ McDonald's manager Ben Williams told News Corp.
โItโs quite unusual to get a four-year offer as your first extension, but we believe we know where heโs going to get to and itโs my job to make sure that heโs locked in for the right price for that.
โItโs really good in the sense youโve got some security should you take it, but youโve got to figure out how much better youโre going to get, because you donโt necessarily want to be locked in for four years if youโre going to do this.
โBecause if he signs a deal, then he outperforms that contract by a lot, thatโs my worst nightmare.โ
The Swans were able to lock away the services of star local Isaac Heeney to a new six-year contract, keeping the Newcastle product in the Harbour City until the end of 2028.
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With a number of key players including Jake Lloyd, Franklin and Josh Kennedy joining McDonald in being unsigned for 2023, the New South Wales club have a monumental season of retention planning ahead.
Re-signing McDonald could be one of the more difficult signatures for the Swans to land, with the 19-year-old always having an option to return to WA open.
With Franklin's lucrative nine-year deal concluding this year, the Swans could have the price to retain McDonald at or above market price.
With star tall forwards a commodity in the AFL, McDonald is sure to warrant a sizeable bumper deal when he signs his next extension.
โWeโll keep talking to the Swans and being a gun key forwardย โย they donโt come around too oftenโ theyโre always in demand,โ Williams added.
โThe two clubs in WA need that sort of player as well, soย Logan will always have the option to go home should he choose to.โ
McDonald will continue to cut his teeth as one of the AFL's most exciting key forwards, with Franklin to eventually hand over the baton as the club's first-string forward target in the coming years.
The Swans will face North Melbourne this Sunday as part of the AAMI Community Series before their Round 1 bout with Greater Western Sydney at Accor Stadium on Saturday, March 19.
