MELBOURNE spearhead Jesse Hogan will meet with his management later this week to discuss his football future amid reports he is likely to be traded to Fremantle next month.
Hogan is contracted to the Demons until the end of next season, but there has long been speculation the West Australian would return to his home state before the end of his career.
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Reports on Tuesday suggested Hogan would be in Fremantle colours by the end of next month's player exchange period in a deal that could help position Melbourne to make a play for one of its chief trade targets this year, Gold Coast captain Steven May.
It's understood Hogan had his exit interview with the Demons on Monday, when the possibility of a trade was not broached.
But the 23-year-old's future will be firmly on the agenda when he next catches up with his management, a meeting that is expected to happen on Thursday.
From there, his management will meet with the Demons, but a time for that discussion has yet to be locked in.
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When Hogan last re-signed in October 2016, it seemed Melbourne was banking on him being the focal point of its forward line for the next decade.
But with Tom McDonald's successful reinvention as a spearhead and the emergence of youngster Sam Weideman in this year's finals series, Melbourne suddenly has a wealth of key forward options.
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Hogan was outstanding this season before a foot injury sidelined him ahead of the Demons' finals campaign, kicking 47 goals in 20 games despite regularly being played up the ground.
However, McDonald and Weideman did an admirable job of holding the fort in attack during the finals, both playing important roles in Melbourne's wins over Geelong and Hawthorn.
Hogan has kicked 152 goals in 71 games with Melbourne since he was the No.2 selection in 2012's GWS mini-draft behind Jack Martin.
He missed his entire first season, 2014, with a back injury, but rebounded to win the NAB AFL Rising Star award the following year after kicking 44 goals in 20 games.
Hogan has long been on Fremantle's radar, and a successful trade would represent a huge coup for the Dockers given they have been desperately searching for a key forward for most of this decade, their past targets having included Travis Cloke and Jack Riewoldt.
