NICK Dal Santo is hopeful that he can stay at St Kilda but understands the club’s priority is to build for the future.

Dal Santo has been the subject of some conjecture about his future this season. He is listed as a free agent but has a trigger clause in his contract that could be activated to keep him at St Kilda in 2014.

He said there were several factors at play.

“I would love to stay a Saint. Within that, I understand that from a club perspective and that my name has been mentioned in trades,” Dal Santo told Melbourne radio station RSN on Thursday.

“I haven’t spoken to any clubs but if the club feels it has to go in a new direction and it is important to go in a new direction with young kids then I can understand from their perspective if they feel that I am not a part of that.”

[ RELATED: Saints in talks with Dal ]

The introduction of free agency last year has opened up new avenues for players to move between clubs and Dal Santo acknowledged the changing AFL landscape.

“You understand the business. I have learnt this year what can happen and the possibilities,” he said.

“So whatever happens in the next month, I just want to be prepared for it. I had a good chat to the club last week and I’m hoping it goes forward from there.”

The Saints blooded nine players in 2013 in a clear sign that development was a priority for the club. Dal Santo said he had found plenty of satisfaction in providing a leadership role for the next generation of St Kilda players.

“I really enjoyed the Monday to Friday at St Kilda this year. The weekends were obviously different when we were losing games and that is part of it,” he said.

“In dealing with younger guys I really enjoyed that role and I felt that I had learnt a lot when it was me. I knew how it felt when a senior player would speak to you.”

The AFL free agency period runs from October 4 to October 21, with the trade period to run from October 7 to 25.