Free agent Jordan De Goey hopes to remain at Collingwood beyond 2022 but coach Craig McRae has indicated the Magpies' hand won't be forced by circling AFL rivals.
De Goey has enjoyed a stellar start to the season, averaging 21.5 disposals and 4.7 clearances while also drifting forward for 11 goals in 10 games.
The 26-year-old is expected to command plenty of interest from opposition clubs but McRae dismissed any suggestion that affected how keen the Magpies were to keep him.
"We can't control what others want," McRae told reporters on Friday.
"He's a player that we know at his best is important to us.
"So what others do is not something we think about."
Discussion around De Goey's future was sparked by comments the in-form midfielder reportedly made at a function at a Ringwood hotel on Wednesday night.
"I want to work with Collingwood and get something sorted out," Nine Newspapers reported De Goey as saying.
"I am happy where I am. There is always stuff you have to work out with the club.
"It's a process over time, obviously. It doesn't have to happen overnight."
McRae wouldn't be drawn on De Goey's comments but said the explosive midfielder-forward was "really happy".
"I'm not privy to what he's said and I won't comment about contracts and whether that's Jordy or anyone else, I've made that public before," McRae said.
"But what I will say is I catch up with Jordy regularly and he's really happy.
"He's playing great footy and I love to see him smiling around the place. So that's real."
De Goey's career was hanging in the balance as recently as January.
Collingwood stood down De Goey for three months in October after it emerged he had had been arrested for his involvement in a drunken incident in a New York club.
De Goey eventually pleaded guilty to the downgraded charge of harassment, which saw him avoid a jail sentence and freed him up to rejoin Collingwood.
When asked whether De Goey had matured since returning to the Magpies, first-year coach McRae would only comment on his experience with his player since his return in January.
"I arrived and you get to know all the players and their personalities," he said.
"Spending more and more time with Jordy and seeing what he does within our four walls, he's a great person for our culture."
