Luke McPharlin looks like he's on the way out, but free agent James Frawley could be on the way in as Fremantle attempt to keep their AFL premiership window open.
Frawley reportedly visited Fremantle's headquarters last Saturday after flying into Perth with his girlfriend.
The 25-year-old defender is being heavily chased by Geelong, but the Dockers are also in the race as they search for a replacement for McPharlin, who appears increasingly likely to retire.
Frawley is expected to command in the vicinity of $550,000 per season on a multi-year deal.
The 193cm key defender has played 139 games over eight seasons for Melbourne, with his finest season coming in 2010 when he was named in the All-Australian team.
Dockers coach Ross Lyon has already declared the club will attempt to bolster their squad through free agency and trading, and Frawley appears to be a logical solution to fill the gap in defence.
McPharlin battled calf and knee injuries on the way to just 13 games this season, with the 32-year-old forced to watch on from the sidelines as Fremantle made a straight sets finals exit.
Dockers ruckman Aaron Sandilands said he was unsure about whether McPharlin would retire. "That's a decision for Luke," Sandilands said on Monday.
"We love having him around the footy club, and I'm sure over the next couple of weeks he'll make his mind up."
Fremantle reached the grand final last year, but injuries to key players during this season's finals series cruelled their flag hopes.
Goalsneak Hayden Ballantyne (jaw), Michael Johnson (back), McPharlin (calf) and Alex Silvagni (hamstring) all missed the semi-final loss to Port, but Sandilands is confident the ageing Dockers will remain in premiership contention next year.
"We've got some great youth coming through on the list," Sandilands said.
"Our young players are really improving quickly. We see no reason why we can't keep improving next year, and hopefully things go our way.
Fremantle's clearance work was poor at times this season, despite the dominance of 211cm ruckman Aaron Sandilands and star midfielder Nat Fyfe.
Sandilands said it was an area the team would look to improve over summer.
"Our clearance stuff as a midfield group - we realise we weren't as consistent this year," Sandilands said.
"The more time you can spend out on the track practising your craft, the better off you'll be.
"We've got some great midfielders, and the chemistry is only going to improve the more time we spend out on the park."
Sandilands battled a serious hamstring issue in 2013, but he only missed one game this season and said he was ready for another big year in 2015.
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