The Wests Tigers have emerged as the latest suitor for Rabbitohs and Queensland star Dane Gagai, per senior journalist Brent Read.
The Tigers join the likes of Brisbane and Parramatta in showing interest in the 30-year-old, who is yet to recommit his services to South Sydney for next season.
Following the departure of captain Adam Reynolds to the Broncos from 2022 on a three-year deal, the Bunnies are now able to allocate some of their remaining salary to Gagai and forward Jaydn Su'A - but they will be facing some competition to do so.
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The star Souths pair have been linked to join Reynolds at Red Hill, withย Read now revealing on Triple M that the Tigers are the latest to be keeping tabs on Gagai.
โOnce Adam Reynolds made the decision to leave South Sydney it meant Souths had some money for next year because they had been keeping a one-year deal on the table for Adam, which stopped them from moving on some other players,โ Read said.
โNow that deal is obviously off the table, their focus now is on Jaydn SuโA and Dane Gagai and theyโve got a fight for both of those guys because some other clubs are circling.
โThey were both linked to Brisbane, however my understanding is that Brisbane have dropped off Gagai.
โBut the Wests Tigers are now taking a close look at Dane Gagai. Dane is on a big deal right now, I think heโs going to have to take a little bit of a hair cut but the Tigers are definitely in the market for a centre and theyโre looking pretty closely at Dane Gagai.โ
The Tigers have looked to shift through a number of centre pairings in 2021, with fullback Adam Doueihi pulling on the No.3 jumper in Friday's Magic Round win over Newcastle.
Doueihi paired with the out-of-form Joey Leilua for the clash, with the latter having already been dropped to the reserves earlier this season.
Veteran centre Moses Mbye is another outside-back facing an unclear future at Concord after having his plea to explore options elsewhere granted by the club earlier this year.
Read believed the Tigers' interest in Gagai would have major implications on Leilua's future in the black, white and gold.
โIt doesnโt sound good for Joey, does it?โ he said.
โI think the option on Joey is pretty close. The clubโs going to make a decision on Joey in the next couple of weeks.
โIf they get Gagai that could spell the end for Joey at the Tigers.โ