Crows list manager Justin Reid confirmed the news as he left Etihad Stadium on Monday, in the first significant move of the trade period.

Reid said that Gibbs had informed Carlton that he was keen to return to his home town of Adelaide.

“Bryce and his management have spoken to the Adelaide Football Club and he has got a strong desire to come home,” he said. “But we also respect that he’s a Carlton football player – he’s contracted so we’ll leave it at for the meantime.”

Reid said it was “early days” and negotiations would begin behind closed doors.

“We will have discussions behind the scenes and work through it,” Reid said.

“Bryce and his management have said he has a strong desire to get home.”

Gibbs has played 209 games over 10 seasons at Carlton, after he was the No.1 pick in the 2006 draft.

He signed a five-year deal with Carlton in 2014, committing him to the club until the end of the 2019 season.

His father Ross played 253 games for Glenelg in the SANFL and was a back-to-back premiership player for the Bays.

The Crows are desperate to bolster their midfield strength, with running players seen as the club’s key area of weakness.

– with AAP