The Suns' all-out effort to lure Damien Hardwick to southeast Queensland has got the backing of interim Gold Coast coach Steven King.
The three-time Richmond premiership mentor, who departed the Tigers in May, will almost certainly take on the Suns' top job from next season.
Gold Coast chief executive Mark Evans last week flew to Italy, where Hardwick is holidaying with his partner, in an attempt to lock-in the deal.
King has coached the Suns in their last four games, for a 2-2 record, after the Queensland outfit sacked Stuart Dew in July.
"Clearly the club would have an ideal candidate in place and if that's transpired, if Dimma (Hardwick) is someone they've got an eye on, that's terrific for the club," King told reporters on Wednesday.
"A three-time premiership coach would be someone every club would love to have.
"For us, it doesn't really change … anything at all.
"For the playing group, we've got motivation to finish the year really strongly.
"If the players can grab motivation knowing there's someone watching from afar and seeing how we go about it, that's great."
Gold Coast have not made the finals since they joined the league in 2011.
With three games remaining - against Sydney (away), Carlton (home) and North Melbourne (away) - the 14th-placed Suns (9-11) look likely to miss the top-eight for a 13th-straight season.
