A pulsating off-season at Melbourne continued in dramatic fashion on Thursday, with the club confirming superstar midfielder Clayton Oliver is welcome to explore his options in the upcoming trade period after being told his role would change significantly under Steven King.
It is believed that Oliver would like to continue playing as an inside midfielder, where he has enjoyed elite levels of success, including a 31.6-disposal and 7.4-clearance per game season in 2021, where the Demons famously broke their 57-year premiership drought.
Oliver's last two seasons have been down years to his standards, however, as he was pushed out of the midfield, attending 70.7% of centre bounces in 2024 and 72.3% in 2025. He failed to tally any Brownlow votes in 2025 as a result, with Melbourne falling to a miserable seven wins and 16 losses.
It has been reported that the Demons are willing to pay as much as $700,000 of Oliver's yearly salary on his monster contract which expires in 2030 in order to engineer a trade for the 28-year-old, which could be to the benefit of a number of interested clubs.
So, which teams should be willing to take the gamble on the controversial talent?
We look at five potential landing spots for Clayton Oliver.
5Adelaide Crows
The Crows have been linked to Oliver for a couple of trade periods now and seem to be in pursuit of an upgrade in their midfield for 2026, having met with Christian Petracca in recent days and also reportedly showing interest in disenchanted Essendon captain Zach Merrett.
A revisit of Oliver's talents may be a worthwhile pursuit for 2025's minor premiers, who could use another elite ball-winner in their midfield, particularly one with premiership experience.
According to 9 News' Tom Morris, the Crows are expected to make a move for 'Clarry', particularly if their bid for Christian Petracca falls through, highlighting their strong interest in the four-time Melbourne best-and-fairest winner.
Coming with the cheaper price tag means Adelaide could better account for Oliver's salary in a trade, while they also possess the lure of former teammate Alex Neal-Bullen, who rebounded this year in South Australia following a subpar 2024 campaign at the Dees.
Get set for the footy with the FREE Zero Hanger 2026 AFL Season Guide! Packed with 150+ pages of player profiles, team previews, insights and analysis, the 2026 AFL Season Guide is built for fans who want the full picture. Download your free Season Guide HERE.
