Dal Santo leaning towards Roos but Saints meeting awaits
Nick Dal Santo will soon meet with the Saints to work out his future
Dal Santo, 29, is contracted to St Kilda for next season but has attracted interest from several AFL clubs according to his manager Tom Petroro.
AFL.com.au understands Dal Santo is leaning towards continuing his 260-game career with North Melbourne but he is in no haste to make a decision.
He has met with Essendon but indicated on The Footy Show that the talks did not progress far.
Petroro told Gillette Trade Radio Dal Santo's first priority was to get a clear signal from St Kilda about what it wanted to do in the trade period.
"There is some interest from other clubs at the moment," Petroro said. "We are a little bit reluctant to go too far down that path in that we want to work through Nick's situation with St Kilda first. If we need to address the external clubs then we will at a time when we see fit."
Petroro said that if Dal Santo was to leave St Kilda his strongest consideration would be finding a club he believes can bring premiership success.
He said Dal Santo was not desperate to leave the Saints.
Petroro also manages unrestricted free agent Colin Sylvia who is yet to re-sign with Melbourne.
Sylvia returned from overseas on the weekend and will meet with new Melbourne coach Paul Roos as soon as possible.
Having played in just 48 wins in his 157-game career he is interested in hearing what role Roos has in mind for Sylvia and how quickly he anticipates turning the club around. Melbourne has won just six games in two seasons.
Petroro said the 27-year-old midfielder had attracted interest from several clubs. Most observers suspect Sylvia would be a better performer in a stronger club with more midfield support.
However Petroro said he would take stock before making a decision.
"He will work out over the coming weeks what he wants to do," Petroro said.
"Paul will be talking to Col [Sylvia] about how they will improve their list, how they will improve their performances and what he is going to change to make the place far more successful than what it has been in the last couple years."
At the end of 2012, Melbourne lost Jared Rivers to Geelong and Brent Moloney to the Brisbane Lions through free agency.