CARLTON fans rest easy - Patrick Cripps isn't going anywhere.

In fact, he's laughing and so is his management after former Port Adelaide player Kane Cornes hit the airwaves with sensational speculation that Cripps could be traded to Fremantle in a swap for Nat Fyfe.

"There’s absolutely no truth in the rumour whatsoever," Cripps' manager Matt Bain told AFL.com.au on Thursday morning.

"Paddy has ambitions to be captain of the Carlton Football Club one day," he said.

"He's signed on until 2019."

Bain confirmed he's spoken to Cripps, and he had also scoffed at the speculation.

Cripps first heard what was said when he got a text from a mate.

"I actually found it pretty funny when I heard about it last night," the 21-year-old told the Carlton website.  

Cripps remains in the rehab group recovering from stress reactions in his lower back and remains hopeful of playing in the Blues season opener against Richmond.

"Hopefully in a few weeks I’ll be back training with the boys, and still on track for day one. 

The season hasn't even begun, yet trade speculation is already on the menu for every football media outlet - including AFL.com.au. But Cornes, according to Bain, may have gone a step too far.

"From my end it’s more frustrating that no one called to check it and I would have been able to laugh it off pretty quickly," Bain said.

Adding to the emphatic denials, Carlton chief executive Steven Trigg told SEN "it was just a furphy."

This all started when Cornes went on air on his South Australian radio program SportsdaySA on Wednesday night with new details on Nat Fyfe's future at Fremantle.

"The bidding war around Nat Fyfe ... is now down to three clubs. They are three Melbourne clubs: St Kilda, Hawthorn and Carlton," Cornes told his listeners.

"He potentially could stay, they’re trying to keep him, but they’re also coming up with a plan B. They don't have the contract of Matthew Pavlich, Aaron Sandilands gets paid a lot of money, it's probably his last year, if they lose Nat Fyfe they have a bucket load of cash to spend.

"Mitch McGovern will feature in that contract debate, they’ll try and get him.

"But one other player, and he plays for Carlton, is a very good chance of heading home, that is Patrick Cripps of the Carlton footy club, their next captain-in-waiting at Carlton, potentially wants to move home."

Last year Carlton showed its willingness to play hard-ball with contracted players when they blocked Bryce Gibbs' bid to get home to Adelaide.