Manly Sea Eagles skipper Daly Cherry-Evans has reportedly attracted the interest of two rival clubs, who are closely monitoring his situation in the Northern Beaches.
Turning 36 in February, Cherry-Evans is still one of the elite playmakers in the competition and has been a staple of the QLD Maroons side in the State of Origin arena.
While Onitoni Large and Joey Walsh are hot on the tail of the 2011 Grand Final winner and considered the Sea Eagles' future, the veteran's future remains clouded, but he is likely to keep playing beyond this season.
However, it is unknown if he will remain a one-club player or if he could possibly find himself at another team.
According to reports from The Daily Telegraph, the inspirational halfback and 2013 Clive Churchill Medallist had caught the interest of a rival club who were prepared to offer him a two-year deal.
After breaking the story over the weekend, Phil 'Buzz' Rothfield has since revealed that The Dolphins and St George Illawarra Dragons are both monitoring Cherry-Evans's situation closely and have some interest in him.
“He wants a two-year deal from 2026. One year with a one-year option," Rothfield said on NRL 360.
“I think Manly have offered him one year and I think they're bringing him back to about $600,000 when he's been a million-dollar player.
“I spoke to Terry Reader, the Dolphins CEO, last week and put it to him was there any interest?”
“And he said, we are watching the Manly negotiations closely to see what happens. They don't want to go yet till they're told to make an offer.
“Outside of Redcliffe, there's a little bit of a whisper around that the Dragons might have some interest in him."
This comes as Manly Sea Eagles CEO Tony Mestov is prepared to hand the star halfback a one-year deal to keep him for an extra season until the end of 2026, per the publication.
"Yeah, of course," Cherry-Evans told Zero Tackle earlier this season when questioned if he hopes to play beyond this year.
"Not willing to give it away just yet but a season's a long time, so it's hard to look into the future now.
"It's so far away. It's honestly so far away and people want timelines and people want answers but ultimately that's just not where I'm at.
"I'm just confident if I can play this year, I'll give it my best. Whether I want to play or not play next year, it'll get looked after."