STEVEN Motlop will almost certainly be a Cat in 2017, with the club and player mutually agreeing not to pursue trade options any further.
Motlop is contracted with Geelong for next season but he was put on the trade table after a disappointing 2016 finals series.
Despite his obvious game-breaking talents, Motlop, 25, did not attract huge interest from opposition clubs, with his lucrative 2017 salary a potential deterrent for any potential suitor.
AFL.com.au understands Geelong and Motlop have recently met and agreed he will remain at Simonds Stadium in 2017 after a frank discussion in which the club and Motlop found common ground on their expectations for next year.
Motlop is set to become a free agent at the end of next season, with his salary highly likely to make him a restricted free agent, giving the Cats the right to match any rival offer.
Motlop has played 112 games with Geelong, including all 24 this season, and kicked 153 goals.
Click here to listen to NAB AFL Trade Radio from 8am AEDT
>> On the app? Tap the green headphones in the top right corner to tune in
Marcus Adams looks set to remain with the Western Bulldogs in the wake of fellow tall defender Joel Hamling's request for a trade to Fremantle.
Adams had discussions with the Bulldogs in the second half of the season about the possibility of returning home to Western Australia in the trade period, but always knew it was a remote prospect.
After Hamling requested a trade to the Dockers on Saturday, the Bulldogs contacted Adams to reiterate he remained a required player.
Adams is happy to play on at the Whitten Oval in 2017 and appreciates his prospects of cementing a regular senior spot in the Bulldogs' backline are strong, especially after Hamling's departure.
• Key dates for the NAB AFL Trade Period
Greater Western Sydney midfielder Paul Ahern is likely to join North Melbourne, in a deal that could be confirmed early next week.
Ahern, 2014's No.7 draft pick, is contracted at GWS for 2017 but is unlikely to play next year after rupturing his right anterior cruciate ligament for the second time this year last month.
Carlton has also been circling the midfielder, but he's now expected to cross to Arden Street.
Despite Ahern's considerable potential, his injuries and a 2017 salary of more than $300,000 mean the Giants will likely let him go for a third or fourth-round pick.
The Giants' negotiations with Carlton on Caleb Marchbank continue to be frustrated by the stalemate in the Blues' talks with Adelaide on Bryce Gibbs.
If the Blues and Crows reach a deal for the star midfielder to return home to South Australia, Adelaide's first-round pick, No.13 overall, will be a key plank of that deal.
Carlton would prefer to use pick No.13 in any deal for Marchbank rather than its own first-round pick, No.5 overall.
If the Blues secure pick No.13, GWS will expect them to sweeten the deal with an additional later pick.
If Carlton has to put up pick No.5, it will seek to add fellow Giant Jarrod Pickett, 2014's No.4 draft pick, to the deal along with another Giant such as key forward James Stewart.
Stewart, however, remains a strong chance to move to Essendon, which could be better placed to strike a deal given it doesn't have as much on its trade plate as the Blues.
• Indicative draft order: What picks will your club take to the draft
The proposed deal that would send Hawks Billy Hartung and Brendan Whitecross to the Brisbane Lions for one of the Lions' early second-round picks, No.16, No.19 or No.21, is no closer to being finalised and could fall over.
The clubs still can't agree on elements of the deal, and one source close to the negotiations expected the proposed trade would be abandoned, a turn of events that would further complicate the Hawks' negotiations with Gold Coast on Jaeger O'Meara.
However, Gold Coast and the Lions remain confident they can finalise a Pearce Hanley trade independently of the O'Meara deal.
If the Hawks secure pick No.16 from the Lions for Hartung and Whitecross, that selection, among other things, would almost surely pass to the Suns for O'Meara. The Suns could then offer it to the Lions for Hanley.
However, the Lions and Suns are confident that with each club's swag of top-30 draft picks – the Lions have No.3, No.16, No.19, No.21, the Suns No.4, No.8, No.22, No.24, No.26 and No.30 – that they can agree to a suitable swap that sends Hanley to Metricon Stadium.
• Who's on the move? Nick Bowen tracks 2016's free agents
Free agent Zac Clarke appears set to re-sign with Fremantle in the wake of the free agency period's closure on Sunday evening.
The 26-year-old still has interest from West Coast and a few other clubs, but his recent talks with the Dockers have been extremely positive and a new deal is expected to be finalised early next week.
