Sydney star defender Nick Blakey is leaning towards requesting a trade at the end of the season, according to The Age reporter Sam McClure.

Blakey is one of the five Swans players suspended for the remainder of the season for breaking club behavioural standards during a late-night outing at the Pullman Hotel after round 23.

Nick Blakey (left) and Isaac Heeney. AFL Photos via Getty Images

The report indicates the 26-year-old’s relationship with the club has deteriorated following the suspension.

Blakey is contracted to Sydney through the end of 2031 on a deal reportedly worth more than $1m per season.

He has grown into one of the game’s most dynamic half-back flankers and would have been in contention for this year’s All-Australian team if the incident had not resulted in him becoming ineligible.

The Age is reporting that Blakey explored a potential move to Gold Coast in 2025, due to his girlfriend, Olympic sprinter Ella Connolly, relocating to Queensland.

A Victoria Police investigation into what occurred at the Pullman Hotel remains ongoing. They are looking into sexual assault allegations made by women during the night.

Nine.com.au is not suggesting that Blakey, or any of his teammates, are under investigation for sexual assault allegations, only that they were suspended for the remainder of the season for the late-night drinking session. No charges have been laid.

If Blakey is traded in October, a club may have to take him on before the full findings of the police investigation are in.

Teammates Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, James Jordon and Riley Bice have all also been suspended for the rest of the season. Bice, however, has been cleared of criminal conduct and is being treated as a potential witness.

Blakey has ties to North Melbourne, given his father, John Blakey, played for the club. He could have joined the club under father-son rules, but instead chose the Swans via their academy.

Carlton boss Graham Wright said last month the club, at that stage, would not be pursuing Blakey or the other four players in this year’s trade period, given the nature of their suspension.

Sydney hosts Brisbane in a qualifying final on Saturday afternoon, and will do so without the suspended five players.