Port Adelaide superstar Zak Butters is showing his incredible loyalty to the club, even if he departs at the end of the season.
Butters is not willing to be walked to the draft by a rival, with Richmond, Geelong and the Western Bulldogs all vying for his signature.
Instead, the Power leader is adamant the Alberton club must be compensated if he leaves as expected, according to the Herald Sun.
Butters' restricted free agency status is tipped to force a trade between Port Adelaide and the midfielder's preferred destination.
The Tigers have put forward a monster deal that blows the Cats and Bulldogs out of the water, but have little pull in terms of premiership contention for the next few seasons.
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Geelong has the lifestyle that has previously attracted names such as Jeremy Cameron, Patrick Dangerfield and Bailey Smith to the club, with all three no doubt playing a role in attempting to lure Butters to Kardinia Park.
Then there's the Western Bulldogs, who can lean on the childhood club factor as well as Marcus Bontempelli and Sam Darcy.
Outsiders Collingwood are still believed to be in the hunt.
All clubs have 2026 first and second-round selections, but will no doubt need to tip in future picks to get a deal done, or use current players to help facilitate a trade.
After the weekend, Richmond slumped to 18th on the ladder, and with that, currently holds Pick 1 in this year's draft. That selection will go a long way to ensuring Port Adelaide snags father-son prospect Dougie Cochrane, while also adding a top-line prospect with their own selection (Pick 4).
