FREMANTLE captain Nat Fyfe remains undecided on his football future beyond 2017 despite a report he had agreed to join St Kilda on a multi-million-dollar deal.
A Perth radio host said on Monday Fyfe had "virtually accepted" an offer from the Saints worth $1.5 million a season, and claimed the "massive scoop" had come via a St Kilda board member.
Who's up for grabs? Check the 2017 free agents list
Saints coach Alan Richardson strongly refuted the speculation when quizzed on Monday night.
"I knew it was wrong. In all reality, (I) don't want to give it much oxygen because it was so far off the mark," Richardson told Fox Footy.
"(It's) pretty disappointing really that there was an accusation that a board member had spoken to someone and so that's the disappointing part.
"The rest of it is just laughable given that we know where it all sits."
The Saints' coach reiterated he was particularly unimpressed by the way the claim had painted the club's board in a bad light.
"That part, there is potential for a little bit of mud to stick for fans to go, 'Gee, what are they doing down there when board members are potentially speaking?' Richardson said.
"And that's so far from the truth. We've got an outstanding board that would be disappointed with that."
Earlier, Fyfe's management company, Stride Sports, issued a statement emphatically denying the story.
"Stride Sports Management can 100 per cent deny the rumour circulating today that Nat Fyfe has formally or informally agreed to a contract to play with the St Kilda Football Club next year and beyond," the statement said.
"Furthermore, we can confirm that Nat Fyfe remains focused on the start of the season with the Fremantle Football Club and remains committed to the Fremantle Football Club in 2017.
"We would also like to take this opportunity to encourage the football public to check the credibility of their news and the person behind it."
Fyfe is due to become a restricted free agent at the end of this season and has predictably attracted huge interest from rival clubs.
AFL.com.au reported in March at least two opposition clubs had signalled their preparedness to make long-term offers of close to $1.5 million a season for the midfielder.
The majority of rival interest in Fyfe comes from Victorian clubs, although one non-Victorian club is among his most ardent suitors.
The 2015 Brownlow medallist took over from David Mundy as Fremantle captain ahead of this season, and has consistently said he sees his football future with the Dockers.
However, Fyfe wanted to focus on his football at the start of this season after returning from a broken leg that sidelined him for most of 2016.
The 25-year-old has not wavered in this desire and is unlikely to open discussions on his future before the middle of the season.
Fyfe's status as a restricted free agent gives Fremantle the right to match any rival offer. If the Dockers did this – and Fyfe was still determined to move – the rival club would have to broker a trade for the midfield star or seek to acquire him in the national or pre-season draft.
Clubs cannot make official offers to Fyfe until the free agency period opens in October.
