The Wests Tigers have reportedly held talks with Stefano Utoikamanu's manager Daniel O'Loughlin over the prop's future.
The star forward is technically still contracted until the end of 2025 with the joint-venture, however, a clause in his contract means Utoiakamanu is free to leave the club at the end of this year if the side don't make the finals.
While the Tigers have shown improvement during the early exchanges of the 2024 campaign under new coach Benji Marshall, there is no guarantee they will be in contention for the finals at the back-end of the season.
Utoikamanu, who is likely to be in for a large increase on the salary front for his next deal, would likely have plenty of suitors from around the competition if he did look to head elsewhere, however, News Corp are reporting the club are looking to get a long-term deal done with the star prop as soon as possible.
Wests Tigers chief executive Shane Richardson - who is understood to have held the meeting with Utoikamanu's manager - has previously made it crystal clear the club will do everything in its power to retain the forward.
Those comments came after the prop had been linked with three-time defending premiers the Penrith Panthers after they made the call to release James Fisher-Harris to the New Zealand Warriors at the end of this season.
Utoikmanau too had indicated his preference to remain with the club, although it's clear the Origin hopeful wants success and an environment which won't leak to the media - something the Tigers appear to have well and truly cleaned up since the last board led by Justin Pascoe was removed.
The Tigers view Utoikamanu as their long-term forward pack leader, with the former junior Blue beginning to make good on his enormous potential at NRL level.
There is no clear time frame for the forward to make a call on his future.
