Sydney general manager of list strategy and recruitment Kinnear Beatson has confirmed the Swans’ interest in Essendon defender Aaron Francis.
Francis, 25, has struggled at Tullamarine since being taken with pick No. 6 in the 2015 draft, but Sydney believes there is plenty of improvement left in the key defender.
With talks underway to bring the tall to the Harbour City, Beatson says the Swans are working on a three-way deal with the Demons and Bombers to satisfy all parties.
“There are two things we’re trying to achieve this trade period, one is to bring Aaron in,” Beetson said on AFL Trade Radio.
“We’re hopeful we’re edging closer with that, it might involve a three-way deal with Melbourne, we’re exploring that at the moment, Chris Cain is working his way through that with the points and numbers and everything each club requires.”
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Beatson says Francis’ interest in joining the club originally stemmed from escaping the Melbourne footy bubble, with the relative anonymity of living in Sydney something that appealed to him.
“Aaron (Francis) is quite clear in his own mind that he needs a fresh start in a different state, to get out of the bubble,” Beatson said.
“I know that was something that went through his mind when he looked at going back to Adelaide, could he escape the bubble?
“In the end, he understood that if he came to Sydney that same bubble is not there, he can just walk around as Aaron Francis and the public won’t know who he is and won’t care.
“Some players like to avoid the spotlight, and others thrive on it so it depends on the individual.”
While the Swans already possess one of the competition’s strongest defences, Beatson believes the addition of Francis could help add flexibility to the experienced backline group.
“He’s got good closing speed, he can certainly intercept mark in the back six,” Beatson said.
“He would complement what we’ve got down there with Paddy, Tommy McCartin and Dane, it allows us a bit more flexibility down there, that’s the main aim of it.”
Beatson expects the three-way trade between the Swans, Bombers and Demons to also include Melbourne tall Sam Weideman heading to Essendon, but conceded that planned deals don’t always go as expected.
“At the moment it looks that way,” Beatson said.
“Things change though, it doesn’t take much to tip it on its head if a club is a bit unrealistic with what they expect … hopefully we’ll be able to get this one today if not tomorrow and it doesn’t extend to the last 15 minutes of the trade period.”
Francis played just four games in 2022, averaging one goal and seven disposals.
He has featured 54 times for Essendon since making his debut in 2016.