Herald Sun reporter Jon Ralph has explained how St Kilda has positioned itself to be so financially aggressive in this year’s AFL trade market amid its accelerated bid for free agent Jack Silvagni.

The Saints appear central to an array of key deals in this year’s exchange period.

Restricted free agent Tom De Koning has nominated St Kilda as his preferred club, with the Saints tabling a long-term contract reportedly worth $1.7 million to $1.8 million per season – an offer Carlton has already declared it won’t match.

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De Koning’s Carlton teammate Silvagni is also in St Kilda’s sights, with the utility completing a medical at the club this week – per Channel 9 host Eddie McGuire – as he weighs up interest from the Saints, Magpies and Bulldogs. The Saints have reportedly tabled a five-year offer worth in excess of $4 million in total for Silvagni.

St Kilda has been strongly linked to Giants defender Leek Aleer, as well as contracted premiership West Coast forward Liam Ryan, who officially expressed his desire to be traded during his Eagles exit meeting. The Saints are also seen as a potential landing spot for Suns midfielder Sam Flanders.

The rival-player links come weeks after St Kilda re-signed superstar Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera on a two-year deal worth around $2 million per season, as well as reports around an increased offer for uncontracted midfielder Marcus Windhager, who has interest from the likes of North Melbourne, Melbourne, Essendon and the Giants.

Speaking on Fox Footy’s Midweek Tackle on Tuesday night, Ralph said the Saints’ ability to bank TPP space while also prepaying star players had allowed them to pocket savings and make a cash splash this season.

Nas on reason for staying with Saints | 02:36

“We know a few of the ways. You can front-end big contracts – you give Max King a lot of his contact (early) – so that when you do get into the premiership window, you’ve saved a bit. You bank some cap space, (minimum spend) 95 per cent and then you pay five per cent the next year.

“One way that hasn’t been talked about is that they’ve actually refused a couple of the player managers the CBA uptick. We know the AFL pay deal goes up 37 per cent over five years. So they (the Saints) will say: ‘Here’s your guaranteed money, if the salary cap goes up 10 per cent next year, no we’ve given you your money, you don’t get any of that rise.’

It’s not pennies, it’s certainly a significant amount, it’s not all of that 37 per cent, but it’s just another way they’ve been able to do it.

“Now is the time to spend it – and they are bloody spending every dollar they have.”

Silvagni’s next destination is still yet to be determined. Collingwood and the Western Bulldogs have led the chase for some time, but St Kilda has suddenly emerged as a suitor.

Jack Silvagni’s dad, Stephen, is list boss at the Saints. But reports state St Kilda head of talent and acquisition Graeme Allan and coach Ross Lyon have driven the move for the 27-year old.

Silvagni ‘felt unloved’ by Carlton | 02:45

Asked on Midweek Tackle if the prospect of Jack Silvagni being added to the same list his dad looks after raised the prospect of a “conflict of interest”, Herald Sun reporter Scott Gullan said: “Of course there is. We’ve been down this track before. That’s half the reason Stephen left Carlton. It became too much of an issue building with his two sons on the list.

“Jack’s a good player, we know that. But how about Callum Wilkie, who’s already raised concerns – and then denied them, but we know he did about Tom De Koning coming in … Callum’s on about $800,000 to $900,000, Jack Silvagni comes in on the same money – maybe even more – and he’s got every right to go: ‘Your dad brought you in on that money.’

“St Kilda will say ‘Stephen’s sitting out of the meetings, he’s got nothing to do with it’ – come on … I’m saying you have to tread very carefully and there’s precedence where this hasn’t worked. You can step out of meetings – which no one believes, I mean ‘SOS’ actually controls the money, he’s got it all on a whiteboard and suddenly his son is front and centre. And he’s going to come over the top of (players) who have been there on more money.

“It’s not Jack’s fault, I get it, but I would avoid this situation if I was St Kilda.”

But Ralph said the Saints had every right to chase Silvagni aggressively.

“If I’m St Kilda, I don’t care,” he said.

“I’m saying: ‘You know what? We want to get better, there might be some players who might whinge, let’s give Cal Wilkie another $150,000 because he’s one of the very few players who deserves that money. The rest of you on that list, you take the money we’ve given you, you play great football and if you finish top three in a best and fairest, then we’ll think about a pay rise.’”