Lance Franklin is in the last year of his blockbuster contract.Credit:AFL Photos
Franklin has told the club he wants to play on,and the Swans are keen to see him don the red and the white for a 10th season. It is a prospect few believed was likely when he sensationally left Hawthorn on a mega nine-year,$10 million deal at the end of 2013.
The Swans are tight-lipped on contract talks with Franklin,but it is commonly accepted he will be taking a significant pay cut to play on next year.
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A rival list manager has said he is an extremely difficult footballer to value given his age and status as a generational player.
Franklin,currently equal eighth in the Coleman Medal race with 29 goals from11 games,is on track for another 50-goal season – a benchmark that another industry source said would normally command a deal worth $600,000-$650,000 a year.
But this insider estimated Franklin to be worth about $400,000 next season given he turns 36 in January and will not have his price driven up by other clubs. Franklin and his family are settled in Sydney,and he is heavily invested in snaring a flag for the Swans.
The average salary for players in 2022,excluding rookies,is $389,000.