Young forward Xavier Richards is hoping he'll be allowed to stay at Sydney, just days after rejecting a contract extension in a bid to return home to Melbourne.
It comes after the extraordinary decision by Richards to knock back a two-year contract with the Swans, because he was finding it too expensive to live in Sydney.
The 23-year-old finished the AFL trade period in limbo, after receiving no interest from Victorian clubs.
He hopes to agree to terms with the Swans in the next 48 hours, instead of nominating for the pre-season draft, but that decision rests with the club's football boss, Tom Harley.
Richard's manager, Phil Mullen, has insisted that there's been no other reason for the forward to seek a trade other than cost.
"The situation a few weeks ago was that he was keen to move to Melbourne … to go home," Mullen said.
The two-year offer put in front of Richards was made by Sydney several months ago and the club was taken aback when it was not immediately accepted.
He had been living with teammates Tom Mitchell and Harry Cunningham, with Mitchell now moving home to Victoria after his trade to Hawthorn.
Mullen has confirmed that Richards has found it expensive to live in Sydney.
"It's difficult to save money when you're at the bottom end (of wages) with the Swans losing their COLA (Cost of Living Allowance)," Mullen said.
With no other clubs showing interest, Fairfax Media understands Richards will now return to the negotiating table with Sydney in a bid to remain a Swan.
Going into the 2016 season, Richards had only played two senior games with the Swans.
He was languishing in the NEAFL, playing well but as a defender he would rarely see the ball, given the club's dominance at reserves level.
It was only when Richards was given a go up forward that he caught the eye of senior coach John Longmire, who gave him his third career game in the round 18 clash with Carlton.
He would go on to play in every game for the rest of the year, including the finals, booting 13 goals for the season.
