Melbourne are heavily chasing a straight-swap deal for star winger Josh Addo-Carr, with the Rabbitohs the latest club to deny a trade deal that would see the Sydney side lose a rising star, per News Corp.
It is understood that the Storm had requested to gain Souths young gun Campbell Graham in return for Addo-Carr, with the Rabbitohs swiftly denying any deal of the sort.
Graham has flourished under Wayne Bennett in 2020 in what has been a stellar breakout season for the 21-year-old.
The swap offer follows the Storm's tabled deal for Addo-Carr to join Wests, with Melbourne interested in having Tommy Talau or David Nofoaluma making their way to Victoria.
While Addo-Carr is prying for a move to Sydney, Melbourne's confident bargaining could cause some delays in landing a deal.
“We have spoken to the club he wants to go to and inquired about a couple of players and they have fobbed us off,” Storm CEO Dave Donaghy told News Corp.
“It is their prerogative but it’s not helpful in trying to achieve an outcome for Josh.”
While Melbourne are set to allow "Foxx" a release from his contract 12 months premature, they will look to hold off on discussions during the upcoming finals series.
If a deal can't be finalised in the coming weeks, Melbourne will look to put any talks on hold until the end of October.