Christian Petracca, Charlie Curnow, Zach Merrett among the players looking for new clubs

Earlier this morning, The Age’s Pete Ryan confirmed Collingwood had emerged as a suitor for star onballer Clayton Oliver.

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Last week, news broke that the Demons, including new senior coach Steven King, told Oliver that, although he remained under contract, he did not fit into their midfield plans, and Melbourne were happy for the four-time best-and-fairest winner to seek another club.

AFL Trade Radio just spoke to Collingwood’s general manager of list management Justin Leppitsch, who confirmed they’d received a call from Clayton’s management.

“It’s come in late, hasn’t it? It’s something we want to do our due diligence on, like every player that crosses our desk,” Leppitsch said.

“We want to focus on the deal itself, is that a good thing for our club, is that a good thing for our culture, is it a good fit positionally?

“We go through that with every player we speak to.”

The Magpies have yet to personally meet Oliver.

The Demons are likely to contribute up to $700,000 of Oliver’s wage each year, a point which Leppitsch suggested could help get a deal done.

“Of course that is a factor. There is talk, with his contract, you may not have to pay the whole lot. We haven’t even gone through those steps yet. We have to go through those processes,” he said.

Leppitsch said 2023 Norm Smith medallist Bobby Hill would remain a Magpie, while premiership ruckman Mason Cox is exploring his options.

He confirmed the Magpies were not in the race for Carlton forward Charlie Curnow, and said Collingwood would not make a move for Steven May after holding brief discussions with the Demon defender.