A day after putting four-time club leading goalkicker Ben Brown on the AFL trade table, North Melbourne are open to offloading their most experienced midfielder.

Vice-captain Shaun Higgins has been told he is free to explore offers from rival clubs despite being contracted at the Kangaroos until the end of next season.

But North would need to be fairly compensated for losing a player who has played 108 games for them since arriving from the Western Bulldogs before the 2015 season.

A two-time Syd Barker medallist as North’s best-and-fairest, Higgins will consider his options as the Kangaroos embarks on the biggest list overhaul in their history.

The 32-year-old could be open to moving to a team within reach of a premiership, with AFL Media reporting Geelong and St Kilda are eyeing off recruiting the 2018 All-Australian.

Higgins almost left for the Cats, the team he grew up supporting, during the last trade period but instead signed a fresh two-year contract after the Kangaroos’ optimistic end to 2019 under coach Rhyce Shaw.

But after winning their first two games this season, North tasted victory just once more as the 2020 campaign turned into one of the club’s worst as they finished 17th.

It comes after the Kangaroos axed 11 players, including Majak Daw, less than 24 hours after their final home-and-away match against West Coast last Thursday.

On Wednesday, North announced their intention to trade Brown, who kicked 261 goals between 2015 and 2019, in the “best interests” of the club.

“We have a clear plan and pathway to lead this club back to finals as quickly as possible,” Kangaroos football manager Brady Rawlings said.

“We know our members will back us in and trust we are only interested in getting better across the board.”

Brown’s fall-from-favour at Arden St is dramatic considering he booted 10 goals in the penultimate round of last season against Port Adelaide and was runner-up in the Coleman Medal.