Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin has stated there is "no question" the Demons would be keen on Fremantle ruckman Luke Jackson if he was to seek a move back to Victoria.
Jackson has been linked to a return to the Demons in 2025, with a potential change of scenery potentially on the mind of the ex-Melbourne tall.
The Western Australian is contracted with Fremantle on a long-term deal and has stressed his desire to remain in purple, with his management and Dockers coach Justin Longmuir also echoing the sentiment.
As rumours surrounding Jackson's future continued to swirl, his former coach has spoken on the speculation.
Quizzed on whether the Demons would welcome Jackson back, Goodwin said Melbourne would be interested but understand the circumstances of Jackson's contract situation.
Goodwin, who denied he has spoken to Jackson on his future, said there's little doubt Melbourne would be open to welcoming Jackson back however.
"We love Jacko. He is a premiership player, and if it ever came to a point that he wanted to come back to Melbourne, there's no question that we'd be interested," Jackson's old coach said.
"But right now, he's a contractor player to Fremantle, so we can't deal on hypotheticals. All we can deal with are the facts.
"He's contracted. His manager and Luke have clearly stated that that's the case. As I said, if he ever got to the point where he wanted to come back to Melbourne, we'd certainly be interested.
"I haven't spoken to him at all. We speak about footy from time to time, but I haven't spoken to him about that."
Contracted Melbourne forward Kysaiah Pickett's name has looped into the Jackson trade discussion, with the elite small forward linked with a move to Fremantle despite having a deal with the Demons until the end of 2027.
Asked of his thoughts on potentially losing Pickett in a deal that sees Jackson land back in the red and blue, Goodwin said there's no chance Pickett leaves in the coming years.
"I'll keep saying it, Kozzie's not going anywhere," the premiership coach stressed.
"He's got two and a half years left at the Melbourne footy club, and our plan is to make Kozzie a Dee for life.
"We're certainly not going to deal in those type of hypotheticals, because we love Kozzie.
"He's a Melbourne person, and he's going to be here for a long time."
Pickett was linked to a move last year after speaking with Goodwin and other key Demons leaders about his homesickness, but did not request a trade.
The lively Demons attacker was drafted out of South Australia but grew up in WA, where he also has family.
