Carlton have poured cold water on speculation linking star West Australian Patrick Cripps with a return to his home state.

Former Port Adelaide premiership player Kane Cornes told Adelaide radio station 5AA on Wednesday he believed Cripps could be part of a trade involving Fremantle Brownlow medallist Nat Fyfe at the end of the season.

But on Thursday, Carlton chief executive Steven Trigg took the unusual step of publicly refuting a trade rumour – more than eight months before the 2017 AFL trade period begins.