THE AFL'S decision to delay a rule change until 2025 seems likely to scupper any monster trade this year involving disgruntled Melbourne star, Christian Petracca.

That's the opinion of AFL.com.au's trade expert Cal Twomey, who says clubs are unlikely to be able to offer enough high-end draft picks to lure the four-time All-Australian out of the Demons this off-season.

>> Win a $70K Toyota in AFLW Fantasy! Sign up NOW

Earlier this month, the AFL announced a raft of trade and draft rule changes, including allowing clubs to trade draft picks two years into the future. However, the rule won't come into effect until 2025, meaning clubs can only trade picks one year into the future during trade period this coming October.

Twomey believes a rival club would likely have to offer up to three first-round picks for Melbourne to even consider trading Petracca, a suite of picks that is difficult to stockpile under the current rules.

"The AFL's decision to wait on extending future trading for two years until 2025 has potentially stopped the biggest trade ever," Twomey said on Gettable this week.

"Christian Petracca's trade options are very limited because clubs just don't have enough capital to make a deal happen.

"He's been unsettled, he's been unhappy and rival clubs have been aware of that for many weeks. But it just seems so hard to see how any club could get a deal done with five years remaining on his contract and Melbourne holding the whip hand there.

"He hasn't met with any clubs yet and I don't think he'd be requesting a trade officially unless (a rival club) could show that they could make something happen. Not having an extra year of future picks to dig into makes that very, very hard.

"(Under 2025 rules) a club could have put forward three first-rounders for him, which would have changed the conversation."

A Petracca move this off-season seems unlikely at this stage, with Twomey adding the 28-year-old would only consider a trade in the future if a big Victorian club made a play for him.

"I think there are only four clubs who could actually be legitimate options for him this year, next year or in the future; Essendon, Carlton, Collingwood or Hawthorn," Twomey said.

"Is he going to leave Victoria? I don't think so. Is he going to go to a club with a smaller supporter base than Melbourne? I don't think so. Is he going to want to play in big games? I would have thought so.

"Ultimately, I don't think any club has the hand to make the conversation start at this point.

"The AFL's decision to push that (rule) change down the road has made it really difficult to make this deal happen (this year)."

Petracca addressed his teammates this week after a tumultuous season for the 2021 premiers, which included a traumatic season-ending injury to their star player on King's Birthday.

The Norm Smith Medal winner is contracted at Melbourne until the end of 2029 and coach Simon Goodwin this week reiterated that Petracca's future is at the Demons.

"Christian's going to be at this footy club for the next five years," Goodwin said.

"He's got five years to go on his contract, and he's going to be part of the red and blue."