Sydney forward Ryan O'Keefe has met Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson and is impressed by the premiers - despite them offering him less money than the Swans.

As yet, no official offer has been made for O'Keefe, 27, and before the Hawks can attempt to strike a deal with the Swans, they must first convince O'Keefe that returning to Victoria and playing alongside Lance Franklin is worth the pay cut. It has been reported that O'Keefe had rejected a contract worth $1.5 million over three years from the Swans, and his newly appointed management had been looking this week to secure a deal of about $600,000 per season. But the latest reports suggest that the best Hawks may be able to offer is a three-year deal worth $1.2m.

"We've got past another stage in the sense that we've got Ryan's indication that he would like to play for Hawthorn," the Hawks' player personnel manager, Chris Pelchen told AAP yesterday.

He said O'Keefe understood that he was likely to receive less money at the premiers compared to what he could if he stayed at the Swans, or moved elsewhere.

"It's of lesser monetary value, but we believe we could offer a total package, whether it be football or lifestyle or work beyond football," Pelchen said.

The Hawks must now finalise a trade deal with Sydney, with negotiations revolving around Hawthorn's first-round national draft pick (No.16 overall) or their second-round (No.34) pick and players. A request by the Swans for a straight swap for several Hawthorn players was rejected.

"We're confident we can get a deal done but there's water to go under the bridge," Pelchen said.

O'Keefe's manager, Tom Petroro, said he was impressed.

"Ryan met with Hawthorn this afternoon, with Alastair Clarkson and [chief executive] Ian Robson, and while it doesn't mean a lot in terms of how any deals are progressing, Ryan was quite impressed with them," Petroro said last night.

While Hawthorn appear to be the clear favourites to claim O'Keefe, Petroro said: "There's still other clubs in the mix. It just that, like everything in trade week, it always moves very slowly."

Sydney's manager of player personnel, Stuart Maxfield, confirmed the club had not received any official trade offer from Hawthorn or any other club for O'Keefe.

"Everyone is still sitting on their hands in terms of Ryan O'Keefe," Maxfield said last night. "Until someone is willing to come up with something formal, you can't do anything. You can't even consider anything if you haven't got options."

Often, deals are not made until tomorrow's 2pm cut-off nears.

While Sydney are believed to have informed Essendon they are no longer interested in Andrew Lovett, they do - along with Collingwood and the Hawks - have a keen interest in Melbourne star Brad Green. The 27-year has been offered a three-year contract by the Demons but is testing the waters during trade week to see what may be on offer.