AFL trade period 2025 LIVE updates: Blues not impressed by Cats Curnow offer; Clayton Oliver, Christian Petracca, Zach Merrett still in the trade mix

New Blues football boss Chris Davies can see Mitch McGovern remaining with the club while he likes the prospect of Ben Ainsworth joining the Blues if a deal can be reached.

“There is some chance Mitch stays,” Davies told AFL trade radio.

There is doubt about whether Mitch McGovern will be at Carlton next season.Credit: Getty Images

“It will all be determined by how this period goes for us. It is unfortunate, once the period ends we will make an assessment on if he fits our list.”

On Ben Ainsworth, the Blues do like the player.

“We have had some chats with the Suns,” Davies told AFL trade radio.

“We think Ben Ainsworth is a player that can help us, and we will continue discussions on him going forward.”

New Carlton football boss Chris Davies has got on the front foot this morning after Geelong offered three first-round picks for want-away forward Charlie Curnow.

But Davies, the long-time Port Adelaide football manager, isn’t impressed with the picks reportedly offered by the Cats.

Carlton football general manager Chris Davies.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images

“We don’t want Charlie leaving Carlton,” Davies told AFL trade radio.

“I want to make that very clear. Those three picks the Cats offered were picks effectively in the 20s.

“No one would think that was a reasonable deal for the player Charlie is.”

Davies reiterated that the Blues did not want to trade Curnow.

“We are not in a situation where we are volunteering anything in relation to Charlie,” Davies told AFL trade radio.

“I am not going to sit here and suggest what we want from Sydney or Geelong - because we want him to stay.”

To recap, here’s what happened in a frenzy of activity on Thursday afternoon.

• The Saints backflipped on the Leek Aleer trade, and the Giants defender wasn’t happy about it. Our reporter Marc McGowan described St Kilda’s treatment of Aleer as despicable and shabby. Read about it here.
• Also at St Kilda, West Coast premiership forward Liam Ryan is incoming. The Eagles sent Ryan and a 2027 third-round pick to the Saints in exchange for St Kilda’s 2026 second-round selection.
• Geelong sparked a bidding war for Carlton star Charlie Curnow, offering three first-round picks to the Blues. The Swans are also into Curnow, with Will Hayward likely to form part of a bid for him.
• Melbourne midfielder Clayton Oliver officially nominated GWS as his preferred new home. Collingwood had also expressed an interest in Oliver, but the Pies have now turned their attention to North Melbourne skipper Jy Simpkin. 
• Still nothing doing with Essendon captain Zach Merrett, who controversially met with Hawthorn. The Bombers are adamant he’s not going anywhere.

Read the full rundown of trade news here.

Charlie Curnow is exploring his options but is contracted to the Blues.Credit: The Age

Hello and welcome to day four of our rolling coverage of the AFL trade period.

I’m Roy Ward, and I’ll be steering our live coverage today.

Some of the biggest names in the game are on the move, and there’ll no doubt be others who emerge from left field.

Stick with us as we bring you all the news as it happens.