Here’s what Sydney Swans chief executive Andrew Ireland had to say about the progress of the Kurt Tippett negotiations at a brief press conference at Etihad Stadium on Monday …

Q. How did talks progress today?

A. “We have nothing to report. The discussion this morning was based around how we started the discussions … we haven’t had any discussions about players or draft picks. There was no specific discussion about players of picks. It was about how we best try to complete a deal given the obvious interest in it and the fact the landscape has changed a bit with the three-week trade period.”

Q. On Tippett’s decision to join Sydney …

A. “The only comments were that they (the Crows) understood that Kurt found it hard in the Adelaide football environment. When he last did his contract, they were hopeful through that three-year period he might come to like the Adelaide environment more.

“From my discussions with Kurt, he really enjoyed his time at the Adelaide Football Club. But he was looking to move away from that ‘fishbowl’ existence. I guess the reason why the Swans became attractive was because we sit in a similar position to the Northern-state teams, in that that environment doesn’t exist.”

Q. Are you confident of doing a deal with Adelaide?

A. “Over the years, our club has a history of being able to finalise deals. We’re hopeful we can do it again. Until you’ve actually got a deal done, you’re never 100 per cent certain. We’ve not been unreasonable with the clubs we’ve dealt with and if history is a good teacher, we’re every chance to get it done.”

Q. Is there an agreement or clause in Tippett’s contract that allows him to move clubs easily?

A. “People keep talking about an agreement, but to my knowledge there isn’t any agreement in his contract that says Kurt must me traded in exchange for a certain amount. The Adelaide people we’ve spoken to confirmed that. My understanding is the Crows would look sympathetically if he was to want to move after the three-year period.”

Q. Is Sydney’s lucrative offer to Tippett an indication of what the club will have to give up to get him?

A. “Kurt’s a quality player and at the end of the day we’ll try to get a deal done that Adelaide accepts.”

Q. Do you expect another or more clubs to become involved in any trade?

A. “Whenever you try to finalise a deal things like that (involving one or more clubs) are always a chance. It’s really been left up to Kinnear Beatson and David Noble to get together. They are the guys who know the worth of the draft picks and what the two clubs are trying to achieve. They’ll spend some time together and try to get a deal started.”

Q. Is Sydney willing to part with a premiership player to complete the deal?

A. “We’ve got no blanket rules. We’d certainly hope none of our premiership players would need to be involved in a trade, but we won’t know until the deal is done.”