The Gold Coast Suns are set to lose their cornerstone player Ben King, just weeks after the 27-year-old told media he saw his future in Queensland.
According to The Age, King will backflip on a lucrative long-term offer from the Suns and instead nominate Hawthorn as his preferred destination for the 2027 season.
Ben King wants to play for Hawthorn next season. AFL Photos
Multiple sources confirmed King’s position has shifted significantly in recent weeks, with the Hawks now poised to snatch up one of the competition’s premier key forwards.
King’s contract at Hawthorn is expected to be a six-year deal, taking him until the end of 2032.
If King does move, his decision would become one of the most dramatic contract backflips in recent AFL history as only weeks ago he was expected to stay at the Suns.
The Suns have been in troubling times recently, amid an on-field slide in performance after eight consecutive losses and off-field tensions.
Gold Coast have not yet officially been told of King’s intention to leave the club.
He will be in Melbourne this week ahead of the Suns’ game against Carlton at Marvel Stadium on Saturday.