Mitch Clark looks certain to land at Geelong, the AFL club of his choice.

Clark on Tuesday revealed he wants to join the Cats to restart a promising career cut down by injury and mental illness.

The 26-year-old retired in April due to depression, but is still part of Melbourne’s squad.

Clark would have to enter the draft if the Cats and Demons are unable to agree on a suitable trade.

But Demons football manager James Mahoney suggested on Wednesday that is unlikely to happen.

“We both recognise that at his best, Mitch is a very good player,” Mahoney told radio station SEN.

“We also both understand the risks.

“We’re around about the same page.

“What that means in terms of picks and players – that will work itself out in the next couple of days.”

Trade period opens on Monday and runs until October 16.

Collingwood and Brisbane are likely to need most of that time to broker a deal for Dayne Beams.

Beams, one of the Magpies’ prime movers, told the club last week he wanted to be traded to the Lions.

Collingwood will demand a like-for-like replacement for Beams, who is contracted until the end of next season.

Brisbane have offered their No.4 pick in the draft, football manager Dean Warren describing it earlier this week as a “very fair” trade.

Collingwood disagree and want a ready-made AFL player, not a potential superstar.

Given the Lions’ reluctance to trade away their best talent, a three-way deal will almost certainly need to be brokered.

Brisbane recruiting chief Peter Schwab agreed the clubs might need the next two weeks to work through the deadlock.

“The major deals take a long time,” Schwab said on Wednesday.

“We’ll just be patient and work with Collingwood and be as fair as we can possibly be.

“We haven’t sat down with Collingwood and spoken about it, so we’re not quite sure what they want.”

Brisbane key defenders Daniel Merrett and Joel Patfull are both contracted for next season, but Schwab confirmed they were considering their options.

Patfull is only interested in moving to Sydney, but Merrett could be involved in a deal for Beams.

The Demons, who will lose in-demand free agent James Frawley, are keen to shore up their defence with the recruitment of Merrett or GWS’s Sam Frost.

“It’s very early on in the negotiations, but we’d like to think we’re well placed for both of them if they’re the guys we require,” Mahoney said.