Petracca elects rival club as Demons exit looms
Moderated by Tomas Kauer 
Melbourne superstar Christian Petracca has elected Gold Coast as his preferred destination as he looks to quit the Demons during the AFL trade period.
The midfielder met with both the Suns and Adelaide, but has ultimately settled on a trade request to southern Queensland.
It comes 12 months after his previous trade request, wanting to join either Collingwood or Carlton.
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It is a huge coup for Gold Coast, coming off their first finals win in club history.
Petracca is contracted to Melbourne until the end of the 2029 season, giving the Dees all the power to once again hold him to his contract.
The Suns hold picks six, 13, 16, 32 and can trade first round picks in 2026 and 2027. Midfielder Sam Flanders could also factor into the trade, should he pick the Demons from the Victorian teams chasing him.
Flanders reportedly met with new Dees coach Steven King on Friday morning. Essendon and St Kilda are also in the mix for his services.
It was reported on Thursday night that Melbourne is interested in luring contracted Gold Coast forward Bailey Humphrey to the club. They will likely hope to secure him in a Petracca trade.
The Suns will now focus on bringing in Petracca, meaning they are out of the running to target Carlton key forward Charlie Curnow, according to an SEN report.
Speaking on Thursday, King said they would only trade the Norm Smith Medallist if it was on their terms.
"Ultimately we'll do what's best for our footy club. We want Christian to be a part of that, no doubt," King told SEN.
"But as I said before, if Christian chooses to leave it has to be on our terms. It has to be fantastic for our footy club."
Petracca has played 212 games for the Demons since being selected in the 2015 draft and was their starring figure in the 2021 premiership.
He won't be alone in departing the club this off-season, with Judd McVee and Charlie Spargo also requesting trades, while Clayton Oliver and Steven May have been told to find new homes.
