Collingwood have turned their attention to North Melbourne captain Jy Simpkin after missing out on Clayton Oliver.
The Magpies are desperate to strengthen their midfield after getting overrun by Brisbane in their recent preliminary final, reports Fox Sports.
With Oliver deciding to leave Melbourne for GWS, Collingwood is keen to see if Simpkin is available for 2026 - despite the midfielder being contracted until the end of 2029.
Simpkin was shunted out to a wing/half-forward role in 2025 with Harry Sheezel, Luke Davies-Uniacke and George Wardlaw being prioritised in the engine room.
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North Melbourne list manager Brady Rawlings has declared Simpkin won't be leaving the club, but rumours still persist about the player's unhappiness.
“We play players in positions we think will help us win and that has been the case with Jy. We know he can play inside as well,” Rawlings said at the start of trade period.
“We think the best thing for our footy club at the moment is Davies-Uniacke, Sheezel and Wardlaw on the inside, and a blend of Simpkin on the outside and potentially on the inside.
“We haven’t had a trade request, he’s contracted for four more years, he’s our captain, he’s 27, and he’s a dual best-and-fairest winner.”
It's likely Simpkin would have to submit a trade request before any move away from North Melbourne is possible.