ROSS Lyon has declared he will entertain a conversation with Collingwood should the Pies approach him to replace Nathan Buckley.  

Lyon looms as a key candidate for the now-vacant coaching position after the Pies announced on Wednesday Buckley would be moved on following the club's Queen's Birthday clash.

The former Fremantle and St Kilda coach, who was sacked by the Dockers in 2019, was previously contacted by Adelaide at the end of 2019 and North Melbourne last year for coach openings.

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While admitting he took calls out of respect to the Crows and Roos, Lyon said he wasn't in the right "frame of mind" to consider either job.

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However, speaking on Channel Nine on Wednesday night, the 54-year-old said he would need to contemplate any advances from the Pies.

"They're one of the biggest clubs in the land, incredible tradition, enormous," Lyon said. 

"If someone rang me from Collingwood and said, 'can we talk?', of course I would sit down and have the discussion.

"I can't give you a flippant answer here. I'd locked the key on it (coaching aspirations) and (have been) trying to make the best of a new career at a property investment house (Wizel Property Group) and Channel Nine and Triple M.

"For me, it's such a big position. Nathan Buckley is a revered figure; we saw how he handled it and he still got chewed up and spat out.

"It's not a flippant response, it needs serious consideration, there's lots of variables and they're a big, powerful club."

Along with Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson and his Hawks lieutenant Sam Mitchell, Lyon is expected to be in the running for the position as Buckley's successor.

Ross Lyon speaks to the media on August 20, 2019, after he was sacked by Fremantle. Picture: Getty Images

While he was at pains to point out that David Teague remained a contracted coach at Carlton, Lyon added that he would also take a phone call from the Blues if their mid-season review found Teague wasn't the right man for the top job to see out his contract for 2022.

"It's not a simple, flippant, 'Yeah, I'm interested', because they are big jobs and they need someone who's unconditional, committed," Lyon said.

"If Alastair Clarkson's available, there is no competition: just pull out whatever he needs, have the conversation and get him signed."

Clarkson holds a contract with Hawthorn until the end of 2022 but both he and the Hawks have been open that his future would be discussed at the end of this season.

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