St Kilda coach Ross Lyon has fired back at “half-baked” reports around senior players wanting out and the club’s rumoured $25 million play to Harley Reid.

Speculation is rife on growing unrest among the Saints’ senior players amid the club’s big-money trade bids for the likes of Tom De Koning and Leek Aleer, with the likes of Jack Steele, Callum Wilkie and Rowan Marshall thought to be assessing their own options.

It included South Australian reporter Michelangelo Rucci on SEN radio reported the likes of Steele, Wilkie, Marshall and Marcus Windhager could be part of a Saints exodus as the club has “been actively looking to spend money.”

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But Lyon moved to refute such claims on Nine’s Footy Classified, with the Saints coach even revealing he spoke to Wilkie on the phone to clarify the All-Australian’ defender’s future.

“6.30 tonight, in my car, in my driveway, (Wilkie said): ‘Ross I’ve never entertained going anywhere else, I love St Kilda, I love what we’re doing’,” Lyon said on Tuesday night’s Footy Classified.

“There’s a lot of half-baked stories, that’s what I see.

“I heard the (Michaelangelo) Rucci stuff. I thought it was two old blokes having a beer and a barbecue in the backyard … there was no substance, no rigour. I was like: ‘Ruc, you send me postcards from Italy herding the sheep and counting the sheep.’

“To be honest, you’re a Port Adelaide nuffy, let’s move on. Without being denigrating.

“Does he write content for the Port Adelaide SANFL club, is he a mad Port Adelaide, are they trying to get us into a bit of turmoil?

“Is that what’s happened to Collingwood? Everyone is trying to unsettle Collingwood. Next minute (Darcy) Cameron has signed.

“It’s all part of the theatre, it’s all part of feeding the chooks.”

St Kilda coach Ross Lyon has fired back at “half-baked” reports around senior players wanting out and the club’s rumoured $25 million play to Harley Reid.Source: FOX SPORTS

It came as Essendon legend Tim Watson suggested the Saints had made a ‘Godfather offer’ to Eagles young gun Reid worth a whopping $25 million over $12 years in a rumour that got tongues wagging.

But Lyon also downplayed St Kilda’s link to the former No. 1 pick.

“I’ve never spoken to Harley Reid in my life… I love Tim, but he got this one wrong,” Lyon said.

“The (Eagles) CEO, Don Pyke, who we all love and respect, is frustrated at their end for whatever reason for Harley and negotiations.

“Clearly they think there’s something out in the ether that’s getting in their way. Well, it certainly isn’t me.”

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Meanwhile Lyon said he was “concerned like everybody else” regarding Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera’s future, with the Saints “doing everything we can” as the rising superstar weighs up a return to South Australia.

But the St Kilda boss embraced the challenge of locking away Wanganeen-Milera’s signature.

“I’m excited we’ve got this problem,” Lyon said.

“At 22, a player to come through at 22 years of age … it’s a great problem to have.

“You’re either good enough to get it done, or you’re not.

“My job is to coach, the list management do their piece. It’s obviously high level and important. But we’ll continue to back ourselves in until we know otherwise.

“It’s the rigour and the pressure of the business. People shy away from it, we lean into it. I think it’s fantastic.”