Collingwood has opened contract talks with star ‘pre-agent’ Jordan De Goey, but the club could be faced with an intricate decision over the length of his next deal as rival clubs continue to monitor his future.

The 30-year-old Magpie’s current deal won’t expire until the end of next season, however Fox Footy’s Jon Ralph revealed both his management and the club are keen to ensure his tenure in black and white extends beyond 2027.

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Speaking to Midweek Tackle on Tuesday night, Ralph dissected what preliminary discussions around a new deal have entailed — and the minor “wrinkle” that may need to be ironed out.

“He has kickstarted initial talks with the Pies on a new deal. He’s an unrestricted free agent (and) in career-best form,” Ralph began.

“But, here’s the wrinkle: he’ll want contract security. There are other clubs that are of course circling and have always wanted Jordan because he’s a mega star at best.

“He’s going to want something like three years, but, the Collingwood footy club tends to do one-year deals; as they have for Jeremy Howe over the last three seasons. So, are they really prepared to buck that trend?”

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Craig McRae’s side are already faced with several intriguing list calls involving veterans come season’s end. The likes of Scott Pendlebury (38 years old), Jeremy Howe (36) and Steele Sidebottom (35) are all without a deal for 2027, as is 32-year-old Tim Membrey.

Ralph said De Goey’s manager, Ryan Vague, believes the 2023 premiership player still has half a decade of football ahead of him.

“I’ve spoken to his manager in Ryan Vague on the record. He believes that he could play on until 35 years of age, and of course your management would believe that,” Ralph said.

“But, he said: ‘Conversations have started. I am in open dialogue with the club. He is super happy with his life and his footy and he will let his footy do the talking for the rest of the year. We will see how the year goes and in the background he is letting me work on his contract. I will look at what is best for my client and look at the options available.

Herald Sun journalist Josh Barnes added: “It’s a very tricky one. For so long, they’ve almost held him on a tight leash … now, we believe that’s settled itself.

“Injury-wise, he’s always battled. He started this year a little bit slow, but now, his past six weeks might be the best of his career.”

With eight rounds to go in the 2026 home-and-away season, Collingwood sits in 10th place with a 7-1-7 record.