HAWTHORN utility Campbell Brown has confirmed Gold Coast has offered him a contract to join the club next season.

Brown, who turns 27 on Saturday, has long been the subject of speculation regarding a possible move to the AFL’s newest team and he admitted on Channel Nine’s The Footy Show on Thursday night a firm offer had been made.

"The club have contacted my management and put an offer forward, but we thought it would be better to just wait until the end of the year," Brown said.

"It's getting very close to finals ... the team and myself don't need any distractions at this time of year."

Hawthorn has made a counter offer in a bid to keep the 157-game veteran, who was linked to the Suns soon after he was reportedly offered up for trade as part of the deal that netted Port Adelaide star Shaun Burgoyne, a report the Hawks deny.

Brown has played 15 games this year, but was struck down by a knee injury and then served a two-week suspension for striking St Kilda’s Nick Dal Santo in the second half of the season.

Despite the added pressure of the tug-of-war for his services, Brown maintains playing good football has remained his sole focus.

“It has been brought up ad nauseam all year, but it really hasn’t played on my mind at all,” Brown said when asked about the Suns’ mooted interest in an interview for hawthornfc.com.au.

“I said a few weeks ago when Hawthorn made an offer that my management and I thought it would be the right decision to put it on hold and wait to make an educated decision at the end of the year.

“That’s about as far as that’s going to go [for now], but in terms of a distraction? Absolutely not.”

Details of the size and length of both deals have not been made public.

In putting off any decision until after the Hawks’ 2010 campaign is over, Brown will avoid the fate suffered by Adelaide’s Nathan Bock who was sent packing by the Crows with two games remaining after he admitted he would be taking up a lucrative offer to join Gold Coast.

“It was interesting ... good luck to him,” Brown said of Bock’s early departure.

“If that’s the way he’s chosen to go I wish him all the best, but in terms of talk around the locker room or anything like that we haven’t even discussed it.”