Carlton ruckman Tom De Koning is reportedly "seriously considering" an offer from St Kilda amid ongoing discussions surrounding his future beyond 2025.
The Saints have made no mistake in declaring their interest in landing a "big fish", having gone after Andrew Brayshaw and Finn Callaghan unsuccessfully.
The Moorabbin club is now after De Koning, as well as North Melbourne midfielder Luke Davies-Uniacke.
AFL Media's Cal Twomey believes that the Carlton ruckman could be swayed by the offer from St Kilda that is "millions more" than the Blues.
"We know the situation and consideration he is taking," Twomey said onย Gettable.
"Can St Kilda land this big fish or will he give up a lot of money to remain at Carlton?
"The offer from the Blues is huge. Seven years at $1 million a season, the deal, my understanding, is worth around $7.5 million across the entirety.
"The St Kilda offer is much more than that. Millions more over that seven-year term.
"He is seriously considering the Saints offer and weighing it up. This is much more live than many people think and Carlton can't offer anymore money.
"It's one of the biggest in the club's history. It's one of the biggest a ruckman has ever had. But it still might not be enough."
It is understood that the Saints are willing to pay up to $12 million for De Koning, potentially teaming him up with Rowan Marshall.
Twomey went on to say that St Kilda is likely to miss out on Davies-Uniacke but is still a watch.
Carlton has a lot of money tied up in star players such as Patrick Cripps, Jacob Weitering, Charlie Curnow, Harry McKay, Adam Cerra and will also need to consider the futures of Mitch McGovern, Nic Newman, Jesse Motlop, Sam Docherty and George Hewet, who all come out of contract at the end of the year.
The Blues have been teetering on the edge of success that has been starved of since their 1995 premiership.
Michael Voss took his club to a preliminary final in 2023 and backed it up with an elimination final last year. Both losses were to grand finalists Brisbane.
The expectation on Carlton is that they'll be around the mark once, ranking fifth likely onย Sportsbet to make finals for a third straight season.
Voss and his men will take centre stage on Thursday night against Richmond at the MCG to kick off their 2025 campaign.
