Brisbane captain Dayne Zorko says he’d “love” to have Buddy Franklin at the Lions in 2023.
Nine’s Michael Atkinson broke the news on Thursday evening that Brisbane had emerged as the shock frontrunner to land the signature of the 35-year-old superstar, who has been at the Swans since 2014.
Atkinson reported that Franklin has informed the Swans he will leave at the end of this season, with he and wife Jesinta wanting to move closer to family on the Gold Coast.
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Any potential deal with Brisbane wouldn’t be confirmed until the trade period after the grand finale.
Speaking on Radio 4BC, Zorko said the four-time Coleman Medal winner would be more than welcome at the Lions.
“Obviously they all seem to be rumors at the moment, but it’s very exciting if that was the case,” he said.
“You’d love to play with one of the greats of the game, there’s no doubt about it.
“There’s plenty of water to go under the bridge on that front, he might be able to squeeze into the backline somewhere!”
Swans boss Tom Harley continues to maintain negotiations with the star forward are tracking well, but stopped short of confirming that Franklin would re-sign.
“We’ve been pretty consistent all along, there’s nothing to announce but there’s nothing untoward at the same time,” Harley told Radio 3AW.
“I know that Lance is absolutely locked in with his football at the moment, I appreciate that everyone would love an answer, but there’s no hurry from our point of view, and no hurry from Lance’s point of view.
“Things are all tracking well.”
But pressed to give a yes or no answer on whether or not Franklin would be in Sydney colors in 2023, Harley hedged his bets.
“I’m trying not to be flippant about it, we’re working our way through all of that and we’ve love for Lance to play for as long as he wants to keep playing.”
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