MELBOURNE coach Dean Bailey says his club could yet be interested in trying to lure Ryan O’Keefe to the Demons.

However he acknowledges his club could have trouble paying the out-of-contract Sydney Swan the money he and his management are commanding.

O’Keefe looks increasingly likely to remain a Swan after a deal couldn’t be struck during last week’s AFL trade period, in which the classy forward tried to find a new home at a Melbourne club.

Still, some clubs remain hopeful of trying to acquire the highly-talented All-Australian during December’s pre-season draft.

This week O’Keefe has spoken of his reluctance to leave the Swans with no compensation for the club, while he is also wary of what he might consider pitfalls of the pre-season draft process.

While Melbourne-based clubs such as Essendon – believed to be interested in O’Keefe – have early picks in the pre-season draft, other AFL clubs such as Fremantle and West Coast have picks ahead of his preferred destinations.

However the Demons have the first pick in the pre-season draft, and while the wooden-spooners might not be O’Keefe’s first choice should he pack his bags for his former hometown, Bailey confirmed his club might be interested.

“Ryan’s still a possibility to stay in Sydney,” Bailey told SEN radio.

“I think his preference will be to probably [go] to Carlton or to Essendon but we have that pre-season pick.

“So, that’s one that the list-management committees probably need to have a bit of a discussion about.”

O’Keefe is believed to be seeking up to $500,000 a season for a three-year deal should he move from the Swans.

Bailey said the debt-riddled Demons might struggle to meet such a demand, although he believed a player of O’Keefe’s calibre could only help his young list.

“We’d really struggle to pay him what he’s after,” Bailey said.

“So that probably says we’re less likely to look at Ryan, but at 28 he’s a very good leader and we’ve got a very young list.

“For that type of player to come in to help the club in the next two or three years would be valuable but the financial request that he’s put on the table might be beyond us.”