It has been revealed that Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs forward Luke Thompson is open to the idea of jumping ship to a rival Sydney club for less money.
The decision from the Englishman comes after another underwhelming season at the Bulldogs, in which he is unlikely to be offered a new contract at the amount he is on at the moment. He has also only managed 40 games at the club in four seasons since joining them from St Helens in 2020.
Currently, in the last year of a contract worth $800,000 a season, Thompson is keen to join the Sydney Roosters next season, taking a significant pay cut, per Danny Weidler on Nine's 100% Footy.
"It's an interesting one, and this will probably get people scratching their head a little bit but Luke Thompson is telling people he would like to play for the Roosters for less," Weidler said on the television show.
"We've heard that story before. There's been an approach that Thompson would like to go to the Roosters and he's got an association with (incoming assistant coach) Justin Holbrook.
"I think there's a couple of other clubs that would like Luke Thompson. I don't know whether (Phil Gould's) Dogs are still in with a chance of keeping him or if they even want him, I don't know.
"I do know that Luke Thompson has been linked (to the Roosters), there was an approach to Nick Politis, the chairman of the Roosters. It'll be interesting to see if that goes through. I don't know how they fit him into the cap though."
On the program, Phil Gould (Bulldogs General Manager) was asked whether the rumours were true and if he believes the Roosters can fit him into the side with their salary cap, which will see Spencer Leniu, Lewis Murphy, and Dominic Young join the team next year.
"Yeah they can fit him in, they fit everyone in," Gould stated.
Arriving at the Bulldogs in 2020, he has unfortunately failed to live up to his potential, which saw him claim the Man of the Match award in the 2019 Super League Grand Final and earn seven tests for England and three for Great Britain.
Primarily a prop or lock forward, Thompson has only managed to appear in three games this season after a horrific injury derailed his 2023 campaign. A fresh start at the Roosters could be just what he needs to prove all his doubters wrong and showcase his ability, which made him one of the best rugby league forwards in either the Super League or NRL.