FREMANTLE has confirmed it has a "very keen" interest in former Bomber Adam McPhee and it hopes to secure the All-Australian in the 2010 NAB AFL Pre-Season Draft.

Essendon announced on Tuesday that McPhee, who played 142 games for the club, had not accepted the club's two-year contract offer and would be entering the pre-season draft.

Fremantle has pick No.3 at December's draft and general manager of football operations Chris Bond said the club had been in regular contact with McPhee in an effort to secure the experienced utility.

"It would be a great coup for this club if we were able to secure him during the pre-season draft," Bond told Perth's Channel 10 News.

"We have been speaking to Adam and his management quite closely. We think he'd be able to complement our list very well.

"We've had a philosophy all the way through that to be able to get a free hit in the pre-season draft would really complement our list and to be able to do that this year with Adam would be a huge bonus."

Melbourne (pick No.1) and Richmond (No.2) have selections ahead of Fremantle in the pre-season draft, and Bond said the club would have to wait and see how those clubs move in the next few weeks.

But he was confident McPhee, who was drafted by Fremantle in 2000 and played 25 games for the club in 2001 and 2002, was keen to return to his first AFL club.  

"We think we've put a great case forward to Adam and Adam's been at this club before and had relationships at this club before, so we think that will hold us in good stead," he said.

"We haven't completely finalised everything as yet, but at the end of the day we are very interested in getting Adam onboard."

Bond did not confirm that Fremantle had offered McPhee a three-year deal, but he said the 27-year-old was the type of player that fitted the criteria for a long-term contract.  

"It's no secret that we've gone with a youth policy and we're continuing to go with that," Bond said.

"It's really important that we've added to that, but it's got to be a player that's going to have longevity at this club and we believe Adam would.

"This year we're expecting to take another five young players (and) we think Adam with his professionalism, with his fitness…we think he complements our list and complements those players very well."

Bond said it had not been negotiated if McPhee would train with Fremantle in the lead-up to December's pre-season draft, but he said the club would maintain regular contact with the player.

"We think this is the first step in the decision that's been made," Bond said.