Western Bulldogs midfielder Koby Stevens has requested a trade to St Kilda.

AFL.com.au understands the out-of-contract 25-year-old met with Saints coach Alan Richardson last week and has chosen Seaford as his new home ahead of an attractive offer from Essendon. 

Stevens played just 12 games this season after battling injuries and indifferent form, and he didn't feature in the Dogs' successful finals campaign.

After playing the first six games of the season, the Gippsland Power product missed seven of the next eight games with an abdominal complaint.

Stevens, who averaged 22 disposals and five tackles a game in 2016, was dropped after the round 19 loss to Geelong, despite serious injuries to fellow midfielders Tom Liberatore and Jack Macrae. 

He played out the remainder of the season in the VFL apart from the round 23 loss to Fremantle, as Josh Dunkley and Clay Smith were preferred ahead of him as high half-forwards.

A foot stress fracture and punctured lung prematurely ended Stevens' year in round 15.

The inside midfielder has managed 63 games in four seasons at Whitten Oval, following just 11 games in three years at West Coast. 

Stevens becomes the second player to request a trade to the Saints this trade period, with Giant Jack Steele also wanting a fresh start at the club. 

The Bulldogs also expect midfielder Nathan Hrovat to leave, with North Melbourne and Carlton jostling for the former Vic Metro captain's services.

Premiership defender Joel Hamling is weighing up a lucrative offer from Fremantle, with the versatile stopper to meet with the Dogs later this week to decide his future.