Sydney want a first-round draft pick in exchange for AFL premiership forward Ryan O’Keefe, but they have not given up hope of holding onto him.

Exclusive: ‘Trade Week is meaningless!’

As the five-day trade period started today, Swans recruiting manager Stuart Maxfield said O’Keefe’s future largely depended on what other clubs were prepared to give for him.

“We’re just going to wait and see what pans out today,” Maxfield said.

“I think given we rate him really highly as a player, there’s no doubt a first-round selection would have to come into play there somewhere.”

While O’Keefe turned his back on a three-year contract offer from the Swans to explore his options with Melbourne-based clubs, Maxfield said it was still possible he could stay in Sydney.

“It’s more I suppose how other clubs view him as well,” he said.

“A lot of things can happen in a short space of time this week, so we’ll just have to play it by ear at the moment.”

The Swans are set to be one of the main players in the trade period, having also been in discussions with Essendon speedster Andrew Lovett with a view to luring him north.

The Bombers are open to trading Lovett, who has had some disciplinary issues at the club this season.

“He’s certainly a player we’ve looked at and we believe he can add some value to our list, so if we can acquire him somehow this week we’d be pretty happy,” Maxfield said.

Essendon is believed to want a late first-round or early second-round pick in return, but Maxfield said the two clubs were yet to seriously start negotiations.

“There hasn’t been a lot of discussion so far, I think all clubs were focussed on the draft camp and that sort of stuff last week.

“Again, there will be a bit more clarity after today,” he said.

Other players expected to be central to discussions include young Fremantle ruckman Robert Warnock, who is likely to go to Carlton, and West Coast ruckman Mark Seaby, who has also expressed a desire to be traded and has attracted plenty of interest.

North Melbourne midfielder Daniel Harris and Western Bulldogs midfielder Farren Ray are others keen to find a new club.

© AAP 2012

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