Adelaide young gun Brad Crouch is the target of a swag of Victorian clubs, with his Crows contract due to expire at the end of the season.
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Essendon are believed to be the frontrunners for the 22-year-old, who has averaged 27.5 disposals a game over the past four weeks.
Expected to finish last on the ladder, the Bombers will have the benefit of the number one selection in the pre-season draft for delisted and out-of-contract players.
The Crows are still in negotiations to retain the Victorian-born midfielder and are believed to be confident of securing his signature on a multi-year deal.
Crouch has only played 10 games in 2016 because of hamstring issues - taking his injury-plagued career tally to 35 matches since being drafted in 2011.
A chronic foot injury forced Crouch to sit out all of the 2015 season, while he missed a large chunk of 2014 with a broken leg.