Get all the latest news in the trade, free agency and draft landscape in Inside Trading, AFL.com.au's dedicated column for player movement. Find out the latest on contracts, deals, trades, draftees, rules, agents and who is going where from the AFL.com.au team.

DEE WEIGHING DECISION

MELBOURNE free agent Tom Sparrow will get through to the Demons' bye before making the next steps in his contract call after enjoying a strong run of form this year.

Sparrow is one of the Demons' unrestricted free agents and has been in discussions on a new deal past this season. 

The 2021 premiership midfielder has been weighing his decision and is now expected to get to the Demons' round 16 bye before settling on his next move. 

The Demons would likely have at least a four-year deal on the table for Sparrow, who has been a fixture of Melbourne's side for the past six years and has taken on more midfield responsibilities this year after the off-season list changes at the club. 

Fellow Melbourne unrestricted free agent Kade Chandler is keen to stay at the Demons and talks are progressing, while the Demons have one restricted free agent – Bayley Fritsch – who is also in negotiations on a new deal of three or four years. – Callum Twomey 

HAWKS CLOSE ON FREE AGENT DEAL

TALKS are progressing on an extension for Hawthorn's in-form free agent Jarman Impey, who now looks set to stay on a longer-term deal.

Impey is understood to be closing on a 16-game trigger in his Hawks contract for 2027, but the club has held positive discussions around adding a further two years on top of that.

The proposed deal would secure Impey for the next three seasons through until 2029 and would be reward for an outstanding campaign where the half-back has emerged as a genuine All-Australian contender.

Impey is one of six restricted free agents still yet to re-sign at the midway point of the campaign, having hit free agency for the first time this season after four years at Port Adelaide and nine at Hawthorn.

The 30-year-old initially joined the Hawks on a three-year deal at the end of 2017 and has signed successive three-year extensions through until 2023 and now 2026 in the following seasons. – Riley Beveridge

BREAKOUT DOG TO SIGN ON

THE WESTERN Bulldogs are set to reward breakout talent Michael Sellwood with a new two-year deal after his match-saving efforts last weekend.

Sellwood is closing in on an extension that will ensure his future at the Whitten Oval through until 2028, having played every game in an important defensive post this season.

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The 22-year-old arrived at the club as the No.5 pick in the Telstra AFL Mid-Season Rookie Draft 12 months ago and featured in Footscray's VFL premiership last year, before breaking through for his senior chance at the start of this season.

He's become a mainstay in Luke Beveridge's backline and took a clutch contested grab in the dying seconds of last Saturday night's thrilling four-point win over Collingwood.

Sellwood initially joined the Bulldogs on a six-month contract from WAFL side Peel Thunder at last season's mid-year draft, before signing a one-year extension for 2026 last August. – Riley Beveridge

WHO ARE HAWKS' UNTOUCHABLES?

HAWTHORN'S intent to target Bailey Humphrey and Zach Merrett while the pair are in contract has rivals keeping a close eye on Hawks players as potential trade options.

The Hawks are widely seen to have a group of 'untouchable' players on their list, including Jai Newcombe, Will Day, Nick Watson and experienced backline trio James Sicily, Josh Battle and Tom Barrass.

The club holds a stack of draft capital, including first-round picks in this year's draft, next year's draft and the 2028 draft, as well as holding three second-round picks in this year's draft (its own and two tied to Greater Western Sydney and St Kilda).

But prying Merrett (contracted to the end of 2027) and Humphrey (contracted to the end of 2028) while in deals at their clubs is expected to take extra picks to be able to appease both clubs, if Humphrey decides he wants to move to the Hawks.

The Suns have been adamant Humphrey wouldn't be traded after attempting a move last year, with Hawthorn, Melbourne, Collingwood and Carlton all keen on him then. The Blues put forward a five-year deal worth more than $1 million a season to lure him but the Suns would not budge.

Merrett has put to the side Essendon's multi-year contract extension offer tabled earlier this season and remains keen to depart the Bombers, with Hawthorn believed to still be his No.1 priority after last year's failed trade attempt. – Callum Twomey 

BLUE ON LOOKOUT

CARLTON wingman Blake Acres would be open to a fourth AFL home after spending the first half of this season out of the Blues' side.

Acres has one year to run on his contract at Carlton, through to the end of 2027, but is expected to survey his options in the back half of this season.

The former Saint and Docker was kept in the Blues' VFL side until last week's win over Geelong, when he returned to the senior team and had 20 disposals.

Acres, who started his career as a first-round pick with St Kilda, turns 31 this year and had been a mainstay during Michael Voss' previous three seasons at the Blues after crossing to the club at the end of 2022. – Callum Twomey

DONS OUT OF US COMBINE

ESSENDON has pulled out of attending the US Combine this week, meaning no clubs will be in Dallas for the three-day trial.

The Bombers had registered with the AFL to attend the Combine but have since decided not to go.

Five clubs sent recruiters or list managers to the Combine last year but this year will instead stay back in Australia and review the footage and vision supplied by the League.

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The AFL has enlisted former Port Adelaide coach Mark Williams, as well as ex-Sydney star Jarrad McVeigh, to be on hand for the Combine to work with the athletes in developing their  AFL skills and testing their athleticism.

A select group of the AFL hopefuls, who largely come from basketball, soccer or volleyball backgrounds, is considered likely to tour clubs in Australia later in the year as the League looks to build up its American imprint. – Callum Twomey

TIGERS' SALARY CAP PLANS

RICHMOND is preparing to target high-end rival players as well as retain its batch of top draftees with new deals under a clear salary cap strategy.

Tigers president John O'Rourke told AFL.com.au the Tigers, who are two years into a six or seven-year build towards a premiership run again, were managing their total player payments with two clear focuses.

The club has already put forward a mammoth offer to Port Adelaide free agent Zak Butters as he looks to head home to Victoria this year, but is also preparing to be able to reward its huge group of first-round picks to come through in the past two years as they come out of contract in Tasmania's two years of access to out of contract players in 2027-2028.

O'Rourke said the Tigers were positioning their cap space to be ready to re-sign top guns as well as go shopping. 

"We've always done a good job in planning out where we sit from a cap point of view multiple years in advance and that's what Blair (Hartley) and the team have done again," O'Rourke said. 

"I think we've got lots of options now, whether that's capacity for free agents in the short term or it's just maintaining flexibility.

"We haven't had this much young high-end talent even in our most significant period as we were building towards our premiership era. It wasn't as stacked with the high picks that we've got a hold of in the last couple of years, so that's part of the equation as well as to how we accommodate building a team around those players over the next three or four years.

"The starting point is one of great flexibility so I think we're well placed." – Callum Twomey