There is some uncertainty surrounding just where Hawthorn forward Jack Gunston will be playing his football in 2021.

Gunston won the Hawks' best and fairest this season after booting 31 goals and has caught they eye of possible suitors.

The most serious of these suitors is Collingwood -  the Pies are keen to bolster their forward line and have been previously linked to Gunston.

The Herald Sun is reporting that they remain keen on acquiring the triple-premiership player.

Collingwood are under serious salary cap pressure and are reportedly looking to offload players like Adam Treloar, Tom Phillips and Jaidyn Stephenson in order to free up space.

However, Gunston wouldn't come cheap, as the experienced Hawk is believed to be well paid at the Hawks and the Pies may struggle to fit his contract in.

The Herald Sun reports that the Hawks would want a first-round draft pick in to part ways with the 29-year old.

Matthew Lloyd believes Gunston would help drive Collingwood toward premiership number 16.

“Well done Collingwood if you were able to get Adam Treloar out and Jack Gunston in,” Lloyd told AFL Trade Radio's The Early Trade.

“He’s the type of player they need. At the end of it all I’d go, ‘Ok, now I know why Collingwood were trying to get Adam Treloar out because they had Jack Gunston in the wings all along’.

“If you can get Adam Treloar out and Jack Gunston in, I think it would be a pretty big win for Collingwood.”

But Lloyd would hold out for a higher pick before entertaining the possibility of trading Gunston.

“Pick 16 in a draft like this, If I was Hawthorn, I would keep Jack Gunston,” the Essendon great said.

“I’ve been in situations late in my career where senior players just kept going out the door and we were a mess by the end of it, just too much youth in the team and lacked direction and senior players.

“If I was a Hawthorn supporter and I saw Isaac Smith going out and then I saw Jack Gunston going out, I’d say, ‘Where are we going?’ Is it worth me buying a membership next year?

“If it’s around the pick No.10 mark, I’m starting to think about it now, but if it pushes out to 17 or 18, I’d be keeping Jack.”

Kane Cornes wondered whether the Hawks could increase their draft assets without forgoing an experienced player.

“If you got a first-round pick for Gunston from Hawthorn I could understand that take with where the Hawks are at right now, but how does that satisfy Alastair Clarkson with a couple of years left on his contract?” Cornes said.

“It basically means they’re going to go to the bottom of the ladder.

“You’re going to have to get some talent in, how do you do that though without giving up something would be the question.

“Is this year the year to do it? How else do you go to the draft without giving up a player who’s going to be 30, has probably got two good really years of footy left in him, what else do you do?”

The AFL trade period ends on Thursday night at 7.30pm AEST.