Blues young gun Sam Walsh won't be putting a timeframe on his highly-anticipated contract call with Carlton, as the breakout onballer enters the final year of his deal with the club this season.
The Geelong Falcons product is arguably the Blues' most valued asset alongside fellow newly-appointed vice-captain Jacob Weitering, with the pair set to support sole skipper Patrick Cripps in 2022.
While Walsh is destined to gain wide-ranging interest from rival clubs, there is little to suggest the 21-year-old would consider a move away from the navy blue.
Walsh has enjoyed a stunning rise with Carlton since joining the club in 2018 as the No.1 overall National Draft selection, earning Rising Star Award honours in his debut campaign before earning a maiden club best and fairest and All-Australian selection last year.
Midfielder
Disposals
Tackles
Clearances
A fourth-place finish in the Brownlow count was further evidence Walsh's stocks in the league are reaching the top echelon, with his trajectory set to demand an equally astronomical wage.
While external discussions surrounding Walsh's future will persist nonetheless, the Camperdown native has expressed his love for the club ahead of a critical campaign.
His attention is strongly placed toward on-field matters, as the Blues look to return to finals contention under senior coach Michael Voss.
"(Contract) talk is always going to come when you are in the last year of a contract, but I try not to read too much into it,” Walsh told media this weekend.
“I am really happy with where I am with the club and the direction the club is heading. I have got a lot of support here.
“I am not going to put a time frame on it because then the talk starts. All I can say is that I am more than happy with how it is tracking and I am sure it will take care of itself.”
Just how well the Blues have planned for Walsh's future will remain to be seen, with Geelong star Patrick Dangerfield of the belief that the three-time 22Under22 selection would demand seven figures per year for the next decade.
The Blues' current financial flexibility will loom as a prominent query ahead of Walsh's future call, with recruits Adam Cerra, Zac Williams, Adam Saad and Mitch McGovern joining Cripps, Weitering and 2021 Coleman Medal winner Harry McKay on being penned to assumed high-figure deals.
The Blues will also need to mull over contract negotiations with luckless defender Caleb Marchbank, midfielder Paddy Dow, veteran Ed Curnow and promising youngster Liam Stocker among a bevy of other off-contract names.
