Essendon are open to trading 2017's first overall draft pick should the club be awarded it, says chief executive Xavier Campbell.
A day after the Bombers locked-up All Australian backman Michael Hurley on a five-year contract, Campbell said on Friday the club was closing in on a deal with Michael Godard and several other key players.
He said the club, which will finish last this season, would consider trading away the top pick if it improved the playing list.
"Depending on what other clubs are open to looking at trading and what could potentially be on the table, you'd have explore and be open to everything," Campbell told SEN.
"I think John (Worsfold) has mentioned that before and that would be a decision that the list management group would need to debate."
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Campbell said the club was expecting a decision from several exiled players on whether to re-sign before the end of October, including captain Jobe Watson and Michael Hibberd.
"We feel pretty comfortable about how its progressing. Each player is different - they have gone through a unique situation that has impacted them all in different ways," he said.
"It was always going to require different amounts of time for each of them to come to a decision."
