MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 10: Mason Cox of the Magpies and Ash Johnson of the Magpies look on during the Collingwood training session at the Holden Centre on June 10, 2021 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
Collingwood sharpshooter Ash Johnson is set to hold contract talks with his management in the coming weeks as some level of external interest in his services continues.
Johnson is understood to be on the radar of rival clubs this year as his one-year extension with the Magpies comes to an end.
The athletic forward penned a new deal midway through his second season at Olympic Park after just two games in the black and white amid an injury-impacted campaign.
After recovering from a serious hamstring setback, Johnson's management and the Magpies agreed to include a one-year trigger within his contract, with the 25-year-old now set to make another call on his future.
Johnson's value to the Magpies has sky-rocketed since joining the club through the 2021 Mid-Season Draft, maturing as an agile key forward target that can also pinch-hit in the ruck thanks to his aerial acumen.
An impressive first half to the 2023 season has only seen Johnson's value soar higher, with his manager Julian Petracca from Hemisphere Management revealing on AFL.com.au's Gettable that his client will commence contract discussions in the near future.
"We did his contract halfway through last year and he just did his hammy off the bone. So for us, it was just getting some security (and we) built in the trigger," Petracca said.
"Myself and Graham Wright had some open discussions around maybe extending beyond that for multiple years. I'll sit down with Ash and his partner around the bye to see what that looks like.
"I think (he's keen to stay at Collingwood). The form he's shown, he plays a pivotal role in that forward line. He offers something different, a bit of a mismatch whether the player's a smaller or tall defender.
"He's got those capabilities of taking a specky and has that X-factor, six to eight possessions but might kick a couple of goals."
A Halls Creek junior, Johnson would be a tempting target for rival clubs given his skillset and contract status, with Petracca already on the end of interested suitors.
While confirming there has been some level of intrigue into Johnson's services, the AFL player agent could only speak glowingly of his client's ability to play multiple roles.
"A little bit," Petracca said of the interest levels in Johnson.
"I think he's shown in those first few rounds when he came in he can play that second ruck roll, so for him developing that is another string to his bow, but I think forward is his predominate position."
Johnson has played nine straight matches under Craig McRae after missing the opening two rounds of the season, booting 11 goals and averaging 8.78 disposals and 4.00 marks per game.