The Leeds Rhinos have confirmed Morgan Gannon has turned down a 'substantial' contract offer from the club and will depart at the end of the 2025 English Super League season.
Gannon has been strongly linked to the New Zealand Warriors in recent weeks, and it now appears that a deal for him to join the club is all but done.
A second-rower who is only 21 years of age, Gannon has 49 appearances for Leeds under his belt to go with a game for the England Knights in 2021.
From a rugby league family, his father Jim played in Australia with the Balmain Tigers in 1998 and 1999 before moving to England where he played for Huddersfield, Halifax, Hull KR and Widnes, while brother Jacob currently plays for the Warrington Wolves.
His move, likely to the Warriors, has somewhat understandably left Leeds disappointed.
โWe are extremely disappointed to be losing a young player who the club has put so much time and effort into developing. In particular, Brad and all the coaches have worked with Morgan this year to bring him to a level after missing all of last season," Leeds sporting director Ian Blease said in a statement.
"I have been speaking to Morgan and his manager for a number of months now trying to agree a new deal and I have made a substantial offer that represents how highly we regard Morgan and were looking for him to fully commit to the Rhinos after the way the club looked after him last year.
โBefore my time here, I know the Rhinos have always had Morgan's best interests at heart, especially during the period when he was overcoming his concussion issues. However, we do understand the lure of the NRL, especially for young players and that is a significant challenge not just for the Rhinos but also Super League as a whole.
โProfessional sport means you have to accept that sometimes things will not always go as you planned however we remain committed to bringing through our young players and rewarding them for their hard work and commitment to build our squad for the future, that has always been the key to success at the Rhinos.
โMorgan is a professional and mature young man and I am sure he will give his all for the Rhinos for the remainder of the season and look to leave the club in the best possible manner."
Gannon though said the move had nothing to do with money.
โI would like to thank the Rhinos for everything they have done to support me and the offer they made to me, this move is nothing to do with money, it is something I want to challenge myself with. Leeds is my club and I never had any intention of going to any other Super League club. I am excited about what we can achieve as a group this season and I want to play my part in that," the forward said.
The Warriors are yet to confirm a move for Gannon.
