Tom Mitchell gets a handball away.

SYDNEY midfielder Tom Mitchell has put contract talks on hold.

Mitchell, 23, has cemented his place in the Swans’ engine room this season, averaging 27 disposals, six tackles and three clearances, but will look to concentrate on his football for the next month.

The father-son star and the club had reportedly been close to a deal but failed to finalise it during the Round 14 bye.

Now, talks are expected to resume after the season with Mitchell coming out of contract and several Victorian clubs – most notably Carlton – circling.

Mitchell’s manager Phil Mullen had no doubt a new contract was right around the corner.

“We’ve put things on hold and we’ll start again later on in the year, so it’s an ongoing thing but we’ll have a bit of a break for a while,” Mullen told the AFL website.

“We’re reasonably close to where we want to be, both parties, but we’ll put it on hold and let Tom concentrate on his football because that’s what it’s all about.

“The Swans are happy to keep calling and we’ll listen and see how we go from there.”

Mitchell has been a key to the sustained success at the SCG able to shut down the opposition’s best ballwinners while also finding plenty of the ball himself.