The Canterbury Bulldogs have reportedly verbally put forward a five-year deal for Jarome Luai as they look to upgrade their playmaking stocks.
The news from the Sydney Morning Herald comes after the same publication revealed on the weekend that Luai had agreed to a deal with the Wests Tigers worth more than $6 million over five years.
However, the five-eighth would deny this as he took to social media to reveal a deal is yet to be finalised.
“No pen to paper here,” Luai wrote on Instagram.
“I’ll let yous know when a deal is done. Big love.”
Luai, who is unsigned beyond next season, has garnered interest from several rival clubs and is the biggest free agent on the market after the North Queensland Cowboys re-signed Thomas Dearden on Tuesday.
Under the NRL’s new rules, he is required to inform the Panthers of his desire to sign with another club, opening a 10-day window for the Panthers to convince their Origin and international-level star to stay at the foot of the mountains.
Along with the Tigers tabling a contract, the Panthers had tabled a two-year deal to Luai that would’ve taken him to the end of the 2026 season on a reported $1.7 million over the course of that extension.
It is currently unknown how much the Bulldogs have offered him as part of the five-year deal.
If he decides to join the Belmore-based club, it will see him link up with former Panthers teammates Viliame Kikau, Matt Burton, Stephen Crichton and Jaeman Salmon, as well as former assistant coach Cameron Ciraldo.
Nathan Cleary has opened up on the contract saga of his halves partner Jarome Luai as the latter looks set to confirm his future sooner rather than later.
Asked by News Corp whether Luai could be a chief playmaker, Cleary said: “Yeah, he could.
“He’s shown that for Samoa on the world stage. He did it there.”
In his first interview since returning from his off-season, Cleary admits that he has tried to avoid persuading Luai to stay despite wanting him to remain a Panther.
The two have played first grade since 2016 and have won an astounding 68 out of 77 NRL games, including three consecutive NRL Grand Finals in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
Not only do they have an 88 per cent winning percentage when they are both playing, but they have also won an Under-20s title together in 2015.
“’Romey’ came back the same day as me (last week). I hadn’t seen him in a bit so it’s good to see him again. He’s still the same old Romey,” he said.
“Sometimes you get caught up in (the contract stuff) and I didn’t really want to reach out and ask him about it or anything like that. He had too many people doing that.
“A lot of people were asking me, and all the other boys, what he was doing. So I can only imagine what he was going through. So I’ve given him space to make his own decision.
“At the end of the day it is his decision.
“I’d love to have him stay. But we’ll see what happens.”
