COLLINGWOOD believes Clinton Young is unsatisfied with the deal the Hawks have on the table but concedes the midfielder will be hard to prise from Hawthorn.
Young, 26, is an unrestricted free agent and has been heavily linked to Collingwood after touring the club's facilities earlier in the week.
He has also been linked to Port Adelaide in recent days.
The Pies have room to move after Sharrod Wellingham's trade to West Coast and Chris Dawes' expected move to Melbourne and are keen on the premiership wingman.
However, they acknowledge it will be no easy feat lure Young from the club he was drafted to in 2005.
"We've certainly spoken to Clinton and his manager," Collingwood director of football Geoff Walsh told Gillette AFL Trade Radio on Friday.
"I understand, and I don't really know, that apparently the offer they've made to recontract him is something his management is not entirely happy with.
"Notwithstanding that, 10 years at one club and a successful club, and their window is still well and truly open, it's a big call to say I'm moving on.
"That will be the issue with him."
Walsh said Young's skill set, which includes precise kicking and impressive run and carry, made him an attractive commodity to the Pies.
"I think the main reason we've spoken to Clinton and his management is that we know what he provides; wing half-back, wing half-forward, he's a run and carry player, he kicks the ball long, he's an 80-90m transition player," he said.
"There's a lot of things that make him attractive to anyone, and we're no exception there.
"The boy's obviously got some thinking to do but he's also got a fair degree of loyalty to the Hawthorn Football Club, I would think, so it will be a big decision if he decides he wants to move on."
The Pies and Demons will now look to broker a deal that will see Dawes cross clubs, with the Dees' first-round NAB AFL Draft selection of No.20 a likely bargaining chip.
Still, the Pies have indicated it may take more than that to get the deal done.
Walsh said the Wellingham trade, plus the mooted Dawes move and potential Young acquisition, would probably "encapsulate all of our movement" in the trade period.
"If we can deliver a couple, or one more, first-round choice I'm sure that [national recruiting manager] Derek [Hine] will use it as well as he has in the past."
Jennifer Witham is a reporter for AFL Media. Follow her on Twitter @AFL_JenWitham