Richmond CEO Brendon Gale says he remains confident the Tigers will hold on to out-of-contract star Dustin Martin given the offer they have in front of the 26-year-old.
Gale admits it's well within Martin's rights to test the waters and take a look at the open market, but isn't overly worried about his star player leaving at the end of the 2017 season.
โI am (confident),โ Gale told the Talking Footy podcast.
โI mean thereโs obviously a hysteria surrounding Dusty, heโs a guy that attracts enormous (attention) ... thereโs huge curiosity in Dustin the person, the footballer, so it goes with the territory.
โOne thing thatโs important is it doesnโt affect the kid. He just stays in the moment and it doesnโt impact us because we understand this is how the market works these days.
โHeโs got every right to go and see where he sits, and plus we reckon weโve got a really strong, compelling offer for him โ and thatโs not just money, thatโs everything.
โWe love Dustin, heโs really important to us (and) not just for his football but as a person and as a leader too.
โHeโs really grown and he should take credit for that and we look forward to him continuing with us into the future.โ
The offer that Gale alludes to is reportedly worth around $1million a season on a multi-year deal, that would be the biggest in Richmond history should he accept.
Martin has previously stated that he wants to wait until the end of the season before signing a new deal.
The midfielder is enjoying his career-best year so far in 2017, and has been one of the main reasons why the Tigers are in the hunt for a top four finish.
