JAKE Melksham will have a medical assessment at Melbourne in the next few days as he prepares to resume his football career in 2017.
Melksham received a season long ban in January for breaching the AFL's anti-doping code while at Essendon in 2012.
He was traded to Melbourne during last year's off-season but is yet to wear the red and blue.
New Demons coach Simon Goodwin, who was an assistant at Essendon in 2012, said he looked forward to Melksham's return.
"We can't wait to get Jake back into our footy club," Goodwin said.
"He made a big impression for the time he was here. We see him as being a big addition to the club."
Melksham, 25, played 114 games with Essendon before joining the Demons.
Goodwin was coy when asked about whether he expected to coach another Bomber returning from suspension, Michael Hibberd, in 2017.
Hibberd told the Bombers he wanted a trade and he is expected to join Melbourne next season.
"He has made a decision to leave Essendon, so list management will work through that over the coming weeks," Goodwin said.
"We have always expressed an interest in Michael and we see him being an exciting player so we will see how that progresses in the next month or so."
Hibberd, 26, has played 84 games with Essendon and would add run and aggression to the Demons' defence.
Melbourne's first pick in the NAB AFL Draft is No.26 which could be considered appropriate compensation in any trade with Essendon.
The Demons are also confident of retaining Jesse Hogan, who is out of contract at the end of 2017.