The lad can play, and fills a position of need, but he's averaged 8 games a year the past three years. So the question is, how long a deal are you prepared to offer him?
I can see why Freo might ask him to sign a one-year extension to demonstrate he can stay on the park, before offering a longer-term deal. I can see why his agent would want a longer-term deal.
We’ve seen what happens when you put complex contract triggers in contracts, so I reckon it’s exactly the type of deal that can take a while.