Out-of-contract Cats star Tim Kelly could yet remain at the club after his manager Anthony Van Der Wielen spent the weekend in Geelong and met officials on Monday, reports AFL.com.au.
The 24-year old sensationally requested a trade back to his native Western Australia during the off-season, but Geelong failed to strike a deal with West Coast or Fremantle during the trade period.
Following a sensational rookie campaign, Kelly has taken his game to even greater heights in 2019, averaging 23 disposals, 10.6 contested possessions and 4.6 clearances to become one of the premier midfielders of the competition.
Cats chief executive Brian Cook said the club will push to make a decision on Kelly's future before the end of the season.
"We're not waiting until the end of the year, because we'd love a decision before then," Cook told Geelong-based radio station K Rock over the weekend.
"We're in constant dialogue. We're in weekly dialogue, I think, with his manager, and we're very determined to give it our best shot to keep him.
"Whether that's good enough, who knows?
"We'll know sometime during the year – hopefully not at the end of the year. We'd like to (re-sign Kelly) before then."
Van der Wielen told AFL.com.au on Monday that Kelly was still undecided on his future.
"Brian's a strong CEO and he needs to let his members and supporters know where they're at – and that they're not just sitting back and waiting," Van der Wielen said.
"We've been in constant dialogue with Geelong since the day Tim was drafted and I have a good relationship with the guys at the club (Simon Lloyd and Stephen Wells).
"We understand they're very interested in Tim staying – that's no surprise to us – but that doesn't mean anything's changed.
"It's way too early for us to make a call as to what we're doing next.
"We'll continue to talk to Geelong, but he's a player in demand and I know for a fact both Perth clubs are interested in him if he decides to come home."
