JOSH Kelly will re-sign with Greater Western Sydney for two years, but the new deal will not be announced before the Giants' home semi-final against West Coast on Saturday night.
The Giants have had a two-year, $1.6 million deal on the table for Kelly for several months, but the 2017 All Australian midfielder was also considering far more lucrative long-term offers from Victorian clubs led by North Melbourne, Carlton and St Kilda.
Kelly was not expected to decide his football future until the Giants' finals campaign was over, but it's understood he is now ready to recommit to GWS until the end of 2019.
However, Kelly wants to focus on Saturday night's sudden-death clash against the Eagles and will not sign off on a new deal before then.
It's expected the Giants will announce the 22-year-old's re-signing next week.
As of Thursday morning, the rival clubs pursuing Kelly were yet to be advised that their bids had been unsuccessful.
GWS has been quietly confident all season that Kelly would eventually re-sign, while the on-baller's manager, Paul Connors, recently told Fox Sports he was obsessed with his clients winning premierships.
However, Kelly's suitors did all they could to tempt him away from the immensely talented Giants.
The former Sandringham Dragon was on the verge of re-signing with the Giants early this year before North forced him to reconsider with a potentially life-changing nine-year, $10 million offer.
Once other clubs got wind that Kelly had put things on hold with GWS, they rushed to throw their hats into the ring.
Essendon was linked to him later in the year, but Carlton and St Kilda were North's main rivals for Kelly's signature if he decided to come home.
It seems inevitable these clubs – and others – will renew their interest in Kelly ahead of the expiry of his next contract. When they do, they will once again have to consider how to satisfy GWS in a trade given Kelly will have given the Giants six years' service by then and will be two years shy of qualifying for free agency.
Kelly's impending signing comes two weeks after North missed out on its other high-profile target this year, Richmond superstar Dustin Martin.
Despite the relentless speculation over his future, Kelly has risen into the game's elite this season.
An outstanding runner and ball-user, he averaged 29.4 possessions a game in 2017, earned his first All Australian selection and finished third in the AFLPA MVP award behind Martin and Geelong's Patrick Dangerfield.
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