AFL could have a new highest-paid player as Swans grow confident of nailing down Chad Warner on $1.4m-a-season

The biggest piece on this year's trade market could soon be off the table, with reports Chad Warner will re-commit to Sydney.

The star midfielder had been heavily linked with a move back home to Perth, where West Coast has been pursuing him.

However, 9News Melbourne's chief footy reporter Tom Morris says the Swans are now confident Warner will stay with the club, though nothing formal has been agreed to just yet.

READ MORE: Coach's reveal on players' 'big hearts' in star's absence

READ MORE: Worker dies at Saudi Arabia World Cup venue

READ MORE: 'Sad' twist as 'big loser' emerges out of Brisbane 2032 reveal

AFL Media's Cal Twomey believes it will be a two-year contract agreement. This would take him through to free agency at the end of 2027 where he will likely make his long-term decision.

Twomey reports that the deal could be worth as much as $1.4 million in 2026, making him the game's highest paid player.

Star players signing short term deals through to free agency has become common in recent years, with Carlton's Tom De Koning and Port Adelaide's Zak Butters recent examples.

Warner wore his heart on his sleeve in Perth on Sunday afternoon, tugging at his Sydney jumper as the Swans took down Fremantle.