The Fremantle Dockers are gearing up for life without Nat Fyfe and will throw "a bucket load of cash" at Carlton superstar Patrick Cripps to lure him back west, according to football commentator Kane Cornes.
There have been rumours about Fyfe's future ever since Dockers coach Ross Lyon said in July the Brownlow Medallist could leave the club if it does not convince him it has a plan for future success.
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"If Nathan believes in that plan coming his way, he'll be here, I've got no doubt," he said.
"If he doesn't believe in the plan, and we don't bring him along, he'd be a chance to leave."
Fyfe is out of contract at the end of the year and the superstar on-baller could go on the market as a restricted free agent.
Cornes told South Australian radio program SportsdaySA on Wednesday night three clubs – St Kilda, Carlton and Hawthorn would be involved in a bidding war to secure Fyfe's services.
He said the Dockers had all but accepted the 25-year-old would leave at the end of the year, so the club was trying to lock-in an A-grade on-baller to replace him.
"What Fremantle are doing are fighting back... they are trying to keep him and have come up with a plan B," he said.
"They don't have the contract of Matthew Pavlich - Aaron Sandilands gets paid a lot of money and it's probably his last year and if they lose Nat Fyfe they have a bucket load of cash to spend.
"Mitch McGovern will feature in that contract debate and one other player and he plays for Carlton and there is a very good chance he is heading home and that is Patrick Cripps of the Carlton footy club.
"He is the next captain in waiting at Carlton and he potentially wants to move home."
Cripps, 21, from Northampton in WA's North West, is regarded as a future superstar of the AFL, but the problem for the Dockers is, the midfielder is contracted to Carlton until the end of 2019.
"I don't think it's a straight swap as Fyfe has more value than Cripps," Cornes who played 300 games for Port Adelaide said.
"If you look at the age bracket and his marketability... he's a great leader and he's young ... he's only 21.
"He's a huge man and he's already established in the AFL, so he is a good target for them."
Cripps' manager Matt Bain laughed off suggestions the Blues young gun was heading back to WA.
"There's absolutely no truth in the rumour whatsoever," he told AFL.com.au on Thursday morning.
"Paddy has ambitions to be captain of the Carlton Football Club one day.
"He's signed on until 2019."
The best chance of Fyfe staying at Fremantle is if the club makes him captain.
He was beaten last January in a vote for captain when veteran David Mundy was elected to replace Dockers icon Matthew Pavlich after he stood down ahead of his last season as a player.
Cornes said there were also rumours Adelaide forward Mitch McGovern wants out of the Crows at the end of this season, so he can come back to WA and play with his brother Jeremy at the Eagles.
He has put any contract talks with the Crows on hold until the end of the season.
The 22-year-old had a break out year with the Crows snaring 36 goals last year and would slot nicely into a forward next to Josh Kennedy and Jack Darling.