ADELAIDE coach Don Pyke is adamant the ongoing speculation about star midfielder Rory Sloane won't be a distraction.
Sloane is a free agent at the end of this season, sparking talk the dual club champion and 2016 All Australian vice-captain could be lured to a Victorian club.
Pyke – who put pen to paper on a three-year extension until the end of 2021 on Wednesday – expects plenty of outside noise until Sloane decides one way or the other.
"It's going to be similar until Rory signs, I imagine, there's going to be this interest," Pyke said.
"Our guys have gone through this a few times now.
"Knowing Rory, he'll avoid any unwanted attention on himself.
"That's not his personality."
Asked directly if he thought it could be a distraction for his side, Pyke said, "No, I don't think so.
"I know the quality of the bloke, that's why I'm very confident."
The Crows went through a similar situation last year before defender Jake Lever requested a trade to Melbourne at the end of the season.
Chairman Rob Chapman admitted it would be a massive blow for the club if Sloane was to leave.
"We'll deal with this and we know this is a big issue for us," Chapman told SEN's Afternoons program.
"I can't sit here and say, is he going to stay, is he going to go, what's the probability of him staying.
"All I can say is we're going to be doing our best, putting our best foot forward to give him the opportunity to sign with us.
"I've seen no reason to suggest he won't.
"But he's got a year to run on his contract.
"We've started those discussions, and hopefully those discussions wrap up pretty quickly."
One of the clubs Sloane has been linked to is St Kilda.
Saints midfielder David Armitage said Sloane would be a fantastic addition to the club.
"I'd love for him to be at the Saints as well," Armitage said.
"It's going to be a tough sell, but you never know.
"There were rumours circulating the last time his contract was up and we were meant to be the club that was going after him.
"We'll leave that to the list managers and the coaches.
"It'd be fantastic to have him though."
Sloane headlines a group of players including All Australian defender Rory Laird, forward Tom Lynch and injured half-back flanker Brodie Smith who are out of contract at the end of the year.
Pyke wasn't concerned if those players were unsigned by the start of the season.
"Ideally (they've signed), but each negotiation is unique in itself and the dynamic of how the players negotiate contracts, that's something we continue to work on as a club as how do we go about our re-contracting," Pyke said.
"The uniqueness of every situation means those things can take two weeks, they can take longer.
"That's just the nature of negotiation."
The Crows have recently re-signed club champion Matt Crouch, Rory Atkins and Jordan Gallucci.
