The opinions and views in this article are those of the author, and not the club. 

Adam Treloar would prefer to pursue a premiership at a club in Victoria rather than seek a move to Queensland should his time at Collingwood end in the upcoming Trade Period.

AFL.com.au understands the 26-year-old this week remains steadfast on staying at the Pies to see out his contract, which expires at the end of 2025.

However, Treloar has been informed that the club's preferred position is to have him move elsewhere from next season with more than two weeks until the trade deadline on November 12.

It now leaves his future at the Pies delicately placed given a return to the club would force a working relationship with those who have told him his future should lie elsewhere.

In early 2019, Treloar extended his contract at the Pies until the end of 2025 as the club set about shuffling money into future seasons to assist with their salary cap squeeze.

His name was also floated in brief conversations with Gold Coast later in the year, but talks quickly dissipated as the Suns held onto pick No.1 and drafted midfielder Matt Rowell.

However, with his partner Kim Ravaillion to continue her netball career in Queensland in 2021, the Pies have asked him to explore a trade that would help clear money from their books.

It is understood he is set to earn upwards of $800,000 per season on average over the next five years.

Rival clubs believe the Pies will be prepared to pay a portion of his salary for coming seasons. 

While the Pies' ideal scenario would see Treloar move to Gold Coast in exchange for pick No.5, he is settled in Victoria and wants success – just as he did when leaving Greater Western Sydney at the end of 2015.

That is set to rule out any move to Gold Coast, given the developing nature of the club's list, a phase he has previously lived through at the Giants.

Brisbane also removed itself from any Treloar conversation on Tuesday.

Suitors in Victoria are monitoring the Treloar situation. North Melbourne is the club with the most money to spend entering 2021 but it's not the window for success.

Essendon is also set to have a gaping hole in its salary cap, while Carlton has long been working towards opening cap space for 2021 after multiple years of underspend.

St Kilda has already committed to a move for Adelaide restricted free agent Brad Crouch. - Mitch Cleary

Tigers youngster headed for the exit

Richmond's Jack Higgins will investigate a trade after informing the club that he was keen to explore a move to a rival club.

The Tigers youngster had his exit interview with the club following its premiership win and will assess his suitors upon returning to Melbourne from the Gold Coast.

He is yet to meet any interested clubs but the Tigers will want reasonable trade compensation for the 21-year-old, who still has a year to run on his contract.

Higgins, who wants to play in the midfield and has shown his capacity as a hard-working player, was squeezed out of the Tigers' line-up in the run-in to the finals despite playing 10 games for the season.

The Richmond fan favourite suffered a calf injury before the end of the season and hasn't featured in any of the Tigers' recent three flags, having joined the club at the end of 2017. - Callum Twomey

Crows target draft bounty

Adelaide is aiming to secure even more draft capital throughout the upcoming Trade Period, with the Crows looking to ultimately score as many as five picks inside the top 25 of the NAB AFL Draft.

The club currently holds four picks inside the top-30 and is bound to secure another, with football boss Adam Kelly reiterating on Wednesday that a free agency bid from St Kilda for Brad Crouch will be matched should the compensation from the AFL not be pick No.2.

There is a widespread belief among the League that it is unlikely the Crows will land the second selection as compensation for Crouch, which would force the Saints to part with at least pick No.15 in order to land the experienced midfielder in a trade.

Adelaide is also understood to have enquired about pick No.12 from the Western Bulldogs, who are looking to trade down the draft order due to their first-round selection likely being absorbed when it matches a bid for highly-rated Academy prospect Jamarra Ugle-Hagan.

Along with picks No.1 and No.8, the Crows also have selections No.20, 29, 44, 50, 60, 74 and 92 – any number of which they could bundle together and offer to the Bulldogs to secure that earlier selection.

Adelaide is set to add another compensation pick to that mix, likely in the second or third round of the draft, for departing midfielder Rory Atkins. He will join Gold Coast on a minimum four-year deal as an unrestricted free agent.

However, the club is resigned to securing very little, if any, compensation for Kyle Hartigan. The experienced defender will join Hawthorn on a minimum two-year deal, also as an unrestricted free agent.

Despite the impending influx of early picks, Adelaide will have to part with at least one in order to prise talented young midfielder Jackson Hately from Greater Western Sydney in a trade.

Hately, the 14th pick in the 2018 draft, has requested a move back to his home state of South Australia and to the Crows after just 13 games across two seasons with the Giants. - Riley Beveridge 

Two young Blues raised in Saad talks

Top-10 draft selections Paddy Dow and Lochie O'Brien have been raised as part of talks over Adam Saad's proposed move from Essendon to Carlton, AFL.com.au's Damian Barrett told Trade Radio on Wednesday afternoon. 

See below for former Blues list manager Stephen Silvagni's take on the pair's value as part of the Saad talks. 

Dons' forward duo set for new deals

Essendon is likely to recontract two forwards who are searching for new deals.

The Bombers have offered contract extensions to James Stewart and Jayden Laverde, with Stewart's believed to be a two-year deal.

Laverde is also expected to stay at the club after last year contemplating a move elsewhere. He has been at the club for six seasons and managed 46 games.

Stewart played 10 games for the Bombers this season after missing more than two years through injury, booting 11 goals, including three in the final round against Melbourne.

He is one of only two key forwards currently on the list, alongside youngster Harry Jones, after Joe Daniher quit as a free agent and the club delisted Shaun McKernan. - Callum Twomey 

Hogan considers future as Giants loom large

Key forward Jesse Hogan has not yet made a commitment to a new club, despite a growing sense he will join Greater Western Sydney in the upcoming Trade Period.

Hogan and his management are talking to several prospective new homes after rivals were told the 25-year-old forward was on the table.

After attending last week's Doig Medal count, Hogan has been linked to both GWS and Sydney, with Richmond also mentioned as a potential destination.

The former Demon has spent this week considering if he wants to join a third AFL club and still has one foot in the door at Fremantle, where he has one season to run on a three-year deal.

Former Collingwood and Adelaide recruiter Matt Rendell told Trade Radio on Wednesday that a move to GWS was a "fait accompli".

GWS hold picks No.39, 46, 68 and 82, but will have incoming assets as it negotiates the exits of Jeremy Cameron (Geelong), Zac Williams (Carlton), Aidan Corr (North Melbourne), Jackson Hately (Adelaide), Jye Caldwell (Essendon) and Zac Langdon (West Coast).

Those close to Hogan sense that a change of scenery will be good for him after on and off-field issues during in his two seasons at Fremantle.

His future should become clearer by the end of the week. - Nathan Schmook 

In other news...

- Reigning premier Richmond has made its first list changes of the off-season, with young duo Luke English and Fraser Turner informed that they will not have their contracts renewed for season 2021.

- Melbourne veteran Nathan Jones is set to become just the second player in the club's history to reach the 300-game milestone, having agreed to a new one-year contract extension for next year.