The Saints “would want players in return” from the Crows if Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera indicated a desire to move to West Lakes this off-season.

Foxfooty.com.au’s Will Faulkner reported on Sunday that the out-of-contract star is ‘leaning towards Adelaide’ as his club of choice, though no final call has yet been made ahead of what shapes as a captivating October player movement period.

And if Wanganeen-Milera did in fact opt for the Crows over St Kilda and Port Adelaide, the gears would soon begin to shift in terms of the framework for a trade deal.

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The Herald Sun’s Jay Clark says players such as Adelaide’s Jake Soligo, Josh Worrell and Josh Rachele would be desirable in the eyes of the Saints but added “the mechanics aren’t moving” on what a deal could look like come trade time.

“You just wonder, if this deal is going to be done, wouldn’t the wheels and the cogs be turning on it already?” Clark began on Fox Footy’s First Crack.

“Just say, if Wanganeen-Milera says in two weeks’ time ‘I want to go to Adelaide’, well, St Kilda say ‘well, we’ll have Jake Soligo or (Josh) Worrell or (Josh) Rachele — that’s going to be the calibre of (player), the sort of trade.

“But you speak to people around these players and their managers, they’re none the wiser.

“So, if I’m St Kilda at this stage, I would still be having some level of confidence, because if this blockbuster trade is going to go down, it is going to take some time. But the mechanics aren’t moving.

“The pieces aren’t moving on any of these trades, which, I would suggest, potentially, would indicate that maybe he’s taking his time — Dustin Martin style — and might still land at Moorabbin. St Kilda would want players in return.”

Both Soligo and Rachele are 22 years of age and Victorian natives but are contracted at the Crows through the 2029 season. Worrell, 24, is a Sandringham product but is contracted until the end of 2027.

There is added flexibility, too, in terms of clubs now being able to trade draft picks two years in advance. The Crows’ first-round pick will come late in proceedings this November, but they will have the ability to trade their 2026 and 2027 selections.

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Saints great and dual All-Australian Leigh Montagna maintained his confidence in his former club being able to retain its superstar.

“You would think, if there was going to be movement, that there would be starting to be conversations between the clubs and the management about what it might look like, how it can get done,” he said on Fox Footy on Sunday night.

“That’s why I still think St Kilda fans should be very confident and very optimistic that he’ll be at St Kilda next year. I think there are people at the club that still believe he will be there next year, and that’s the way I’m feeling. I’m very confident that he will be at St Kilda.”

Clark said: “If the deal is going to be done for (Adelaide players such as) Soligo, you can’t drop this on them. History shows that these deals … they’re (done) a year out; they’re done six months out.”

Two-time Roos flag-winner David King said Wanganeen-Milera’s camp had “absolute bargaining power” due to their ability throughout this process to keep all discussions in-house.

And while the wheels mightn’t be moving on potential trade machinations as yet, King said acquiring parties generally “find a way to satisfy” in trades when the player in question wants out.

King asked Clark on First Crack: “So, you’re saying Soligo and a first-round pick … That level of player?”

Clark replied: “It would have to be … of that calibre. But Soligo doesn’t know anything about it.”

King said: “You’d do that tomorrow if you’re Adelaide. Absolutely.”

Hypothetically, a player such as Soligo — a ball-winning midfielder — could help in some way filling the midfield void left by Wanganeen-Milera, but Clark also noted there’d been no indication Soligo — or Rachele or Worrell — had any desire to leave Adelaide.