ANDREW Lovett is not guaranteed to join the Brisbane Lions in next week's exchange period despite it being almost certain that he will leave Essendon.

The Bombers confirmed two weeks ago that the 26-year-old had requested a trade and while Lions coach Michael Voss said Lovett had travelled to Brisbane to meet club officials, nothing was set in stone.

"We spoke to him the other day," Voss told afl.com.au. "He came up to Queensland and it was good to be able to get him up there so he could have a look around.

"Whether that translates into anything, who knows? Ninety per cent of the stuff going on is just talk and rumours and 10 per cent actually happens.

"We don't have any great expectations there about what might happen but we'll wait and see. It's very early days, trade week hasn't happened yet and obviously there is a lot of talk at this point in time."

Voss acknowledged he had spoken to the Bombers in passing about negotiating a deal for the midfielder but said the bulk of the discussions were the business of his list manager Graeme Allan.

"That's out of my realm," Voss said.

"There's no real point me knowing anything more at this point in time because realistically the real stuff starts next Monday."

Disgruntled West Coast utility Brent Staker is another name that has been linked to the Lions but again Voss was non-committal.

"They are things that get thrown around but you only ever know when the date comes closer so, again, they are out there," he said.

"What we do know is that Brent has put his hand up so we've spoken to him, but so would a lot of other clubs.

"That's where it sits and a lot gets spoken about but whether they are actually engaged ... I'm not trying to be coy, it's just the way it transpires and they do all their secret business over there so I find out later as a coach."

In a particularly interesting development, Voss said West Australian native Bradd Dalziell was not seeking a move back to his home state.

Dalziell has been tied to the possible trade involving Staker.

"He's happy," he said. "I spoke to him, we did a post-season review with him.

"He had a frustrating season with his injuries and got a little bit of continuity in the back end of his season. He seems to be going along pretty well and, as far as I know, that is the case."

Dalziell, 22, was limited to eight games in 2009 after playing the last seven of 2008 and earning a NAB AFL Rising Star nomination.