Sydney are confident Lance Franklin will end his legendary AFL career at the Swans, with Hawthorn ruling out any prospect of a fairytale reunion with the superstar veteran.
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Franklin and the Swans are yet to come to an agreement for a new contract to extend his time at Sydney into a 10th season.
The 35-year-old was reportedly insulted by a new offer from the Swans, with a Herald Sun story claiming Franklin could retire or move to a third club.
But Swans chief executive Tom Harley is comfortable a contract will be sorted, saying the club wants Franklin to finish his career with Sydney.
Franklin and his manager Adam Finch are yet to respond to the story.
"I sit very comfortable with the conversations that we are having with Lance and the privacy of those conservations," Harley told SEN on Thursday.
"We also understand at the same time that people will speculate, people will look to unearth stories out of information and I'm not overly concerned with how it (the story) came about.
"Lance is a unique figure and player in the game and with that the conversations are tailored towards that.
"Inappropriate and unfair to all parties involved to go into specifics.
"The conversations we're having with Lance are remaining respectful with significant amounts of goodwill, great intent.
"We think Lance has been an amazing contributor to the club, the code and has become iconically Sydney and part of the Sydney Swans family."
Harley also shot down any link between Dustin Martin potentially leaving Richmond and Franklin's contract.
Martin, arguably the Tigers' greatest player, has been weighing up a move away from the AFL fishbowl in Melbourne and has strong family and friendship ties in the harbour city.
Franklin has been the Swans' highest-paid player for almost a decade and it would naturally be difficult to fit him and Martin into the same salary cap.
"There's absolutely no link between these two stories, these two players," Harley said.
"We have had no contact nor conversations with Dustin Martin, he's not our player and it would be inappropriate for us to do that.
"I am a little bewildered by how the story around Dustin keeps resurfacing and resurfacing with a strong connection to the Swans."
Richmond coach Damien Hardwick has previously said Martin would be free to leave Punt Rd with his "blessing" and on Thursday was again asked about the triple Norm Smith medallist's future.
"(Martin) knows our thoughts, Richmond player for two more years," Hardwick said.
"That's our method of operation at this stage and that won't change in the short term or long term hopefully."
Franklin signed a monster nine-year deal to move to Sydney ahead of the 2014 season following a glittering 182-game career with Hawthorn.
Hawks coach Sam Mitchell concedes Franklin would unlikely fit into the rebuild out at Waverley Park.
"I mean, it's a great fairytale concept but with where our list is at and what we're trying to achieve, I don't see it," Mitchell, who played with Franklin at Hawthorn, said on Thursday.
In March, Franklin became the sixth VFL/AFL player to kick 1000 career goals amid iconic scenes at the SCG after he reached the milestone.
Franklin has played 332 AFL games ahead of the Swans' crunch clash with Fremantle at Optus Stadium on Saturday night.
Australian Associated Press
