Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley is set to meet running Geelong defender Travis Varcoe in Bali while on holiday as the Pies contemplate recruiting the 26-year-old premiership player.
Varcoe is contracted until the end of 2015 but has emerged as a potential acquisition as Collingwood looks for a replacement for Heritier Lumumba who wants to join Melbourne.
If the Magpies and Varcoe agreed to pursue a trade with Geelong, a three-way deal involving Varcoe joining Collingwood, Lumumba joining Melbourne and Mitch Clark joining Geelong would become possible.
However Varcoe is yet to decide where his future lies, and the meeting with Buckley is part of the process of both parties determining what sort of fit the Magpies might present.
Varcoe has also attracted interest from North Melbourne and West Coast during the trade period but the Eagles seem an unlikely destination.
He has played 138 games with Geelong and was a key member of the 2009 and 2011 premiership teams. Although he has struggled for consistency in the past two seasons he has game-breaking qualities.
The Magpies have plenty on their plate during this year's NAB AFL Trade Period as they examine what is on offer for Dayne Beams after he requested a trade to the Brisbane Lions.
The Lions look likely to offer the Magpies a first and second round pick, however Collingwood is steadfast in its need for a quality player in return for Beams, along with the picks.
The club reinforced on Wednesday that it would not trade Beams unless a ready-made replacement was found.
The alternative view is that Collingwood should be prepared to accept the Lions' first two picks for Beams after securing an agreement from North Melbourne's Levi Greenwood on Tuesday to join the Magpies.
But the Magpies have not budged as they continue to argue that Beams, who is contracted until the end of 2015, is a required player.
