BRISBANE is closing in on a five-year commitment from Fremantle star Lachie Neale, with his official request for a trade imminent.

The 25-year-old midfielder is set to inform the club of his desire to become a Lion as soon as this week with Fremantle's best and fairest to fall on Saturday night.

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The South Australian is poised to attend the count, tipped as a hot favourite to win his second Doig Medal.  

While the Dockers have been aware of Neale's interest to move across the country for several weeks, he is yet to formalise his intentions on the deal of around $4 million.  

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It is believed it would make Neale the Lions' highest paid player in 2019.  

With Neale contracted for next season, Brisbane would need to entice the Dockers into a trade, with the Lions' first-round pick understood to be on the table.

The Lions' current first-round pick sits at selection No.4, set to be pushed back to No.5 due to Gold Coast receiving compensation for departing forward Tom Lynch.  

Neale's pending announcement will coincide with new head of football Peter Bell's first day on Thursday.

A club director up until last week, Bell met with Neale after interest from Brisbane became public last month.  

Neale is the leading contender for the Dockers' Doig Medal, having played every game this season, with captain Nat Fyfe, Ed Langdon and Alex Pearce others tipped to feature prominently.

Should the Neale trade be agreed upon, he is set to join former junior teammate and close friend Lincoln McCarthy at the Lions, with the former Cat recently requesting a trade.

If the Dockers land the Lions' pick, it could trigger other moves with Melbourne's Jesse Hogan weighing up a move home to play under Ross Lyon.  

One of a number of clubs with interest in Steven May, the Demons could then on-trade the selection as part of a pitch for the Suns captain.