The Newcastle Knights have officially released Mitchell Pearce from the final year of his contract at the Knights.
The club released a statement on Monday morning confirming Pearce has taken up an offer with the Catalan Dragons in the English Super League.
"The Newcastle Knights have agreed to grant Mitchell Pearce a release to join English Super League Club, Catalans Dragons," A club statement read.
"Pearce requested a release from the final year of his current contract in late October, with both parties working through the process, making it effective immediately.
"The Knights would like to thank Mitchell for his significant contribution since joining the club in 2017, celebrating many highlights including 300 NRL games and back-to-back finals series.
"The Club wishes Mitchell all the very best for his future."
It brings Pearce's tenure in the NRL to an end, having played 238 games for the Sydney Roosters between 2007 and 2017 before switching to the Knights and playing 71 games for the club since 2018.
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All up he has made 309 NRL appearances ahead of his switch to the English Super League where he has been rumoured to have signed a three-year deal to play in the south of France.
It had been previously rumoured that the Knights weren't going to release Pearce without finding a suitable replacement, however, the club are yet to make an announcement regarding if they have secured a replacement.
Internally, the club have Jake Clifford, Phoenix Crossland and Simi Sasagi to play in the halves, while Adam Clune has also been signed this off-season from the St George Illawarra Dragons.
There has also been talk that Kalyn Ponga will shift into the halves either in 2022 or 2023, meaning chasing a half to replace Pearce may not have been the highest priority.
Outside of the club, they were heavily linked with Luke Brooks, however, both the Tigers and Knights have made attempts to hose down those rumours which simply refuse to go away.
Scott Drinkwater from the North Queensland Cowboys is the other name the Knights have been linked with in the last fortnight, with the talented half and fullback seemingly falling behind signings Chad Townsend and Tom Dearden for a starting role.
The Cowboys were reported to be set to release Drinkwater if they could gain an experienced forward in return - and with David Klemmer reportedly looking for a way out of the Knights after being relegated to the interchange bench behind Daniel and Jacob Saifiti who both signed long-term extensions - that move doesn't look out of the realms of possibility.
Pearce's deal with Catalan in France will see him replace James Maloney, who is retiring from top-flight rugby league, while the big-spending French club have also been linked with Dylan Napa and the sacked Tyrone May to take their final two non-federation trained spots for the 2022 Super League season as they look to avenge a grand final loss to St Helens.
