Christian Petracca wants to get to Gold Coast this trade period, but despite the coup, there’s still a chance the Suns might have to part ways with a younger version of him in order to get a deal over the line.

Exciting midfield-forward hybrid Bailey Humphrey has attracted interest from Melbourne, according to Seven’s Xander McGuire, and AFL Media’s Cal Twomey believes the 21-year-old Humphrey will be “at the top of the list” of the Demons’ asks in a Petracca trade.

That comes despite Humphrey’s management on Friday assuring he’ll remain at Carrara, with a contract through to the end of 2028 after arriving as the No.6 pick in 2022.

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SEN’s Sam Edmund had reported Humphrey’s management reached out to more than one rival club in recent days to sound out possible moves, adding it’d become “increasingly clear the player has an appetite to leave Gold Coast in this trade period”.

So, while both Humphrey’s management and the club have since reiterated he isn’t for trade, it seemingly won’t stop the Dees from pushing for his inclusion in a Petracca deal.

So how could a trade get done before the end of the exchange period?

If the Demons are in fact set on Humphrey as their prize — and if it ultimately winds up that he does want to leave — the Dees would likely need to add in a sweetener draft pick on top of Petracca, due to 21-year-old Humphrey’s long-term upside.

“A player as valuable for your future as Bailey Humphrey … you view that, in this day and age, he could play another 12 years. Petracca could give you three, maybe four years,” began five-time premiership star Dermott Brereton to foxfooty.com.au.

“So, although Petracca’s best is incredibly, insanely high, and who knows, time might decide where Humphrey’s best might get to … even if it doesn’t (reach full potential), you still would view because of the service left in them, that Humphrey is probably more valuable to your future.”

Bailey Humphrey and Christian Petracca.Source: FOX SPORTS

Brereton flagged that perhaps a deal wouldn’t just involve the Demons and Suns — but possibly a third club to facilitate the arrangement.

“But if you (the Suns) are looking for the here and now and ‘we’re good to go, get it done so we have ultimately a great shot of winning one right now’, yeah, that’s what you have to weigh up … I tend to think it’ll be a bit of a three-way deal going on,” he said.

“It’s rare (for) somebody of this type of quality as Petracca, it’s rare that you can give up something you don’t feel is essential to your future that the other team is going to say ‘that’s what we need’. It’s hard to get that sort of compensation in return. It’s hard to fit that square peg into the round hole.”

Probed on what a three-team trade could potentially consist of, Brereton referenced the fact Connor Budarick is trying to get to the Western Bulldogs and Sam Flanders most likely to the Saints.

“It could even be something that gets thrown into St Kilda,” he said. “(The Bulldogs) are talking about Connor Budarick leaving the Suns, (there’s talk) about Flanders leaving the Suns. Flanders, I think, is eyeing off St Kilda and they’re eyeing off him.

“So, I would think that there’s going to be a fairly complex deal done, if you’re trying to get Christian to Gold Coast.”

Alternatively, if the Suns are resolute on not parting with Humphrey, it could be Flanders that the Demons look to snare — having met with the ball-getter on Friday morning, according to AFL Media’s Riley Beveridge.

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But if Humphrey can be convinced to leave the Suns, and it’s the only way to do a deal in the minds of the Demons, should the Suns feel obliged to bite the bullet and deal the young star?

“Different clubs have different strategies on that,” Brereton said, before warning of an unwanted hypothetical.

“You can also hurt the fabric of the players around that remain. They will understand it … you want to make this team the best chance it can have now, but I’ve seen it happen before where boys of the same age who’ve come through the draft, come through this team with the likes of Bailey Humphrey love him and want to play with him, and if he wants to stay and they push him out, that can hurt your fabric.

“Do you bite the bullet? Once again, I think Hardwick has groomed Humphrey to be a star midfielder who can press forward. I reckon — it’s funny — I reckon he’s groomed him to be what Petracca’s best football was played as — a stormtrooper out of the middle who could go forward and be exceptionally dangerous.

“I think he has that sort of hope for that player. So, are you giving up what could be that player for the next 12 years to get in that player that’s going to give you four years?”

It’s a question that will be answered over the course of the next fortnight.