Zak Butters fixes sights on Western Bulldogs move
Posted , updated
Port Adelaide's Zak Butters has informed the Western Bulldogs of his desire to join the club. (ABC News: Briana Fiore)
In short:
Port Adelaide midfielder Zak Butters has informed the Western Bulldogs of his desire to join the club.
In August, the three-time best and fairest winner requested to leave the club via free agency and return home to Victoria.
What's next:
The Bulldogs say the club will work with Port Adelaide to facilitate a suitable outcome during the upcoming player movement period. Port Adelaide has the right to match the bid for restricted free agent Butters and force the Bulldogs into a trade for the three-time All-Australian.
Port Adelaide midfielder Zak Butters has nominated Western Bulldogs as his preferred club, weeks after announcing his decision to head home to Victoria.
In a statement on Saturday morning, the Western Bulldogs confirmed Butters had informed the club of his desire to join.
"The club will work with Port Adelaide to facilitate a suitable outcome during the upcoming player movement period," the Bulldogs said.
The 26-year-old's future had dominated headlines during the season with reports of offers over eight years from Richmond, Geelong, Collingwood and the Western Bulldogs.
Butters had narrowed his choice to the Bulldogs and Geelong before settling on the club he supported as a child.
He has reportedly been offered a nine-year deal worth up to $2 million per season to join Marcus Bontempelli and Ed Richards in a high-powered Dogs engine room.
But Port Adelaide has the right to match the bid for restricted free agent Butters and force the Bulldogs into a trade for the three-time All-Australian.
On August 24, Butters announced his decision to "head home", saying it was a "tough decision and one that I haven't taken lightly".
"Although I've loved my time in Adelaide … I'm probably at a stage in my life where I'd like to get back around some family and friends and enjoy some more time with them," he said at the time.
Three-time All-Australian Butters won three best-and-fairest awards with Port and stood in as captain this year with regular skipper Connor Rozee sidelined by a serious hamstring injury.
Butters' last game in Power colours was a defeat to St Kilda in round 18, when he suffered an ankle syndesmosis injury that ended his season early.
Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge has long been an admirer of Butters and irked Port counterpart Josh Carr this season when openly addressing his club's desire to lure the star midfielder.
"Marcus [Bontempelli], and some of Marcus's teammates, are quite naturally drawn to Zak," Beveridge said in June.
"They played in the state team together [in February], so he's developed some relationships with some of the other boys who played in that game."
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