FREMANTLE midfielder Lachie Neale might have let slip where he plans to play his football in 2017.

Out of contract at the end of this season, Neale is hot property and has been linked to both his hometown of Adelaide and Melbourne clubs in early-season trade speculation.

With contract talks on hold, there have been no guarantees that Neale would stay with the 0-6 Dockers as they start a rebuild.

But posting on social media after it was announced ruckman Aaron Sandilands had signed an extension for 2017, Neale gave an indication of what he was planning.

"This bloke makes my job a lot easier and I'm looking forward to playing with him in 2017," Neale said on Snapchat.

Neale's management previously said the 22-year-old wanted to let the start of the season take shape before entering into contract talks.