Richmond and Collingwood are already waging war for this year’s flag, and now they have one more thing to battle over – the signature of Tom Lynch.

Lynch, a restricted free agent, officially told Gold Coast on Thursday that he will be leaving the club.

But his final destination still remains up in the air, with defending premiers Richmond rumoured to be in the box seat.

Collingwood are also keen to snare Lynch, while Hawthorn are another powerful club in the frame.

The Suns reacted to Lynch’s decision by immediately stripping him of his captaincy.

Gold Coast chief executive Mark Evans thinks Lynch would have liked to have retained the title of captain until he left, but the club didn’t think it was appropriate.

“You might say it’s ceremonial as to whether he is or isn’t,” Evans told SEN.

“But I think it is a bit of a statement that you can’t be the leader of the place if your intention is known that you are going somewhere else.”

Lynch could earn around $1.2 million a season on a five-year deal at his next club.

But potential suitors will know any long-term deals will come with risks.

Lynch will miss the rest of the season after undergoing knee surgery, and it remains to be seen how his body holds up.

However, Lynch has proven to be one of the competition’s most talented forwards when he is up and running.

Lynch was Gold Coast’s leading goalkicker from 2014-17, and he showed his star power in round two this year when he booted eight goals against Carlton.

The Suns have been crippled by an exodus of star players in recent years, and they’ll be hoping key duo David Swallow and Steven May don’t follow suit.

Gold Coast sit in 17th spot on the table with a 4-14 record, and they’ll start as rank outsiders in Sunday’s clash with Melbourne at the MCG.