IN-DEMAND Adelaide defender Jake Lever will meet with his manager on Thursday before ramping up contract negotiations with the Crows. 

Lever wanted to wait until AFL and the AFL Players' Association agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement so he knew what the salary cap was going to be.

With the lucrative pay deal – including an immediate 20 per cent increase – signed last week, Lever will catch up with his manager Ned Guy in Adelaide to discuss his next move.

Why are clubs so keen to lure Crow Jake Lever?

"I haven't been using the CBA as an excuse," Lever told 5AA on Wednesday.

"My manager is coming over tomorrow and I'm sure we will sit down with the club in the near future and the contract negotiations will continue. 

"But if it's not in the near future, I wouldn't be worried."

Lever is developing into one of the best intercept marking defenders in the competition.

The 21-year-old said it was his choice that the Crows haven't put an offer in front of him for next season.

"We didn't want anything (until the CBA was finalised)," Lever said. 

"You do speak about it (with your manager), but not in the depth it has to be. 

"Now we know what everything looks like and the club have a clearer picture, we can sit down tomorrow and have a really good conversation about it.

"There's always media hype (about rival clubs) and that sort of stuff, but in the end, I’m playing for the Adelaide Crows at the minute and I'm focused on this week of football."

Lever and forward Mitch McGovern are the two most prominent Crows players who are out of contract.

Crows skipper Taylor Walker signed a three-year extension on Tuesday until the end of 2021, while the club has also locked in Eddie Betts, Luke Brown, Kyle Hartigan and Wayne Milera to new deals this year.