Sydney CEO Tom Harley is confident that the club can fit in Will Hayward and Chad Warner despite the supposed salary cap squeeze, while forward Logan McDonald is a watch-this-space.
The Swans have already re-signed Errol Gulden, James Rowbottom and Ollie Florent whilst also adding Brodie Grundy, James Jordon and Taylor Adams to their list in the off-season, adding further intrigue to their list management.
However, with rival clubs beginning to sniff around for the unsigned Hayward, Harley is adamant to in-form forward will remain in the white and red.
โWe're confident that will Will stay with the Swans,โ Harley toldย SEN.
โThere's obviously a negotiation to be had and it's never over the line until it is done, but what I can say about Will is he is really keen to stay.
โThe playing group is understanding that to keep everyone together, there are some commercial realities around that.
โAs I said, there's a bit to play out, but confident we'll keep him.โ
Adelaide, Port Adelaide, Carlton and Melbourne have been tied to Hayward so far this year ahead of his looming free agency call, with the Crows and Blues reportedly tabling lucrative long-term deals to the South Australian.
Warner, who has set the AFL competition alight with a pair of performances in the past fortnight, resulting in 25.5 disposals, 3.5 goals, 3 clearances and four tackles is also one to watch across the next 18 months.
CHAD WARNER CAN DO IT ALL ๐@VirginAustralia | #AFLDogsSwans pic.twitter.com/I7uguntTKt
— AFL (@AFL) May 23, 2024
Although the 23-year-old is still contracted until the end of 2025, it is understood that clubs from his home state of Western Australia (West Coast and Fremantle) will make plays for the star midfielder.
Harley said the club is hoping to get ahead of the situation and re-sign Warner.
โHe's clearly a priority player for us going forward. He does have another year on his contract,โ Harley said.
โWhen you're working through your list and your priorities, he's right at the top of that.
โWe would love to extend Chad tomorrow beyond 2025 and those conversations will happen at the right pace and the right time, but he's a very integral part of what we're doing.โ
