The Richmond premiership player is set to pay the price for the Tigers’ successful courting of Gold Coast star Tom Lynch, with North Albury’s Anthony Miles also likely to exit Punt Road next week.

Townsend, who started his career at Greater Western Sydney, played a crucial role in the Tigers’ drought-breaking premiership last season.

He also won the 2017 J.J. Liston trophy as the VFL’s best and fairest player. In a twist of fate, Miles shared that honour another Riverina export in Coolamon’s Michael Gibbons this season.

St Kilda looms as a likely new home for the sharpshooter.

“Jacob Townsend … will be seeking a new footy home, as we’ve known for some time — and it’s St Kilda that I’m being told this week that is showing significant interest in him,” journalist Damian Barrett told AFL Trade Radio.

“There’s a meeting teed up for that to be thrashed out and potentially a move to the St Kilda Football Club from Jacob Townsend.”

Essendon champion Matthew Lloyd said the Suns, where Miles has been linked, could also be interested in Townsend.

“My understanding also is that the Gold Coast Suns will look to bolster their mid-range players and will also look to meet with Townsend, if they haven’t met with him already,” Lloyd said on AFL Trade Radio.

“He was one of those players who, in the premiership year, didn’t get a lot of disposals but he just didn’t miss when he got the ball. He was kicking his two to three goals a game.

“Once he stopped doing that, he lost his placed in the team. Guys like Daniel Rioli and (Jason) Castagna and (Dan) Butler and those types, Jack Higgins, took his spot and he never recovered this year.”