Sydney Swans small forward Tom Papley will remain in red and white in season 2020 after a trade was unable to be agreed to with Carlton.

Papley, who has three years to run on a contract, had notified the club of his desire to return to Victoria with Carlton his club of choice.

Head of Football Charlie Garinder said a deal was unable to be reached that satisfied the Club’s needs.

“Tom expressed a desire to get back to Melbourne and we had an open mind in helping him achieve that,” Gardiner said.

“Unfortunately we weren’t able to get comfortable with a deal that would replace Tom.

“He is an outstanding player, our leading goal kicker and a member of our leadership group last year so we rate him highly.

“We didn’t want to lose him without the ability to bring in a player of a similar calibre so given we weren’t able to do that we have held on to Tom.

“It is a fantastic result for the footy club and we look forward to seeing him in Swans colours next year.”