GEELONG coach Chris Scott has given Steven Motlop his strongest show of support, declaring he wants the out-of-contract speedster to remain at the club. 

The 26-year-old, who was put up for trade at the end of last season, qualifies for restricted free agency and is on the radar of rival clubs, including Port Adelaide. 

Motlop rose to the occasion in the Cats' last two finals against Sydney and Adelaide, kicking a goal in each game and collecting 23 and 26 possessions respectively.

Scott said he wanted Motlop to stay at Geelong beyond this year.

"It needs to be played out and there are people at our club who should be the spokesperson for this even ahead of me," Scott told Fox Footy on Monday night.

"But this is one of the rare occasions I'll talk about what I want – and I sincerely hope that he's a Geelong player next year. 

"I'm not sure how I can be any more emphatic than that, and Steve knows that." 

In July, Cats chief executive Brian Cook told ABC Radio the club could again be open to offers for Motlop, saying "the option is there to do that". 

"There might be an arrangement out there that would suit both our requirements and theirs," Cook added. 

"But if it doesn't, we'll keep him."  

Motlop has played 135 games for the Cats and kicked 175 goals since debuting in 2010.