The Sharks are on the verge of luring Matt Moylan to Cronulla on a four-year $3.6 million contract, but the deal could hinge on a player swap with James Maloney going to the Panthers.
Cronulla and the Wests Tigers have tabled offers to Moylan, but the 26-year-old's preference to play in the halves has the Sharks in the box seat should Penrith agree to a release that could be requested this week.
Fairfax Media understands the Panthers are reluctant to agree to a release unless it is on their terms and won't contemplate letting Moylan out of the next four years of his contract without something in return.
That something is Maloney – an experienced playmaker they believe will be the ideal sounding board for teenager Nathan Cleary in his development.
As revealed by Fairfax Media last week, the Panthers have also suggested they would be open to a compensation deal, putting a $250,000 transfer fee on each of his four contracted seasons as an option for any potential release.
Moylan, who a fortnight ago asked to be released from the captaincy responsibilities at Penrith, has also attracted interest from the Tigers and former coach Ivan Cleary.
The joint-venture club want Moylan to fill the void left by James Tedesco's defection to the Sydney Roosters. However, their hopes of landing his signature are severely dented by Moylan's aspirations to make the permanent move into the No.6 jersey – a position that will be filled by Josh Reynolds at the Tigers next year.
The Tigers, who have Tuimoala Lolohea as their fullback option at this point, are believed to have offered a deal worth $2.5 million over three seasons.
Key to negotiations for Cronulla is Moylan's relationship with childhood friend Andrew Fifita. Moylan and his brother, whom he is living with, have a strong connection with the Fifita family and share a special bond having grown up together in Sydney's west.
Penrith's preference is to keep Moylan at the club, but the noise surrounding the 26-year-old's unhappiness at the club won't go away despite him showing renewed enthusiasm over the past few weeks.
Former player agent Wayne Beavis still represents Panthers general manager Phil Gould and Sharks coach Shane Flanagan, and only this year gave up Maloney as his client after deciding against another year as an accredited NRL player manager.
Interestingly, Beavis has offloaded most of his player clients to Allan Gainey, the same manager who represents Moylan and signed off on a five-year deal with the Panthers just last year.
The anterior cruciate ligament injury to rookie Tyrone May in Penrith's last game of the season has complicated things, with Penrith reluctant to start 2018 without a proven five-eighth.
Both May and fullback Dylan Edwards are on minimum wage contracts and will be upgraded soon. However, that may create salary cap restrictions in 2019 given most of the Panthers' big name players are locked up on long-term deals.
Penrith are also preparing for a huge battle to keep halfback Cleary at the club beyond the end of 2019, aware of the appeal of playing under his father at the Tigers when his contract expires at the Panthers.
Moylan is expected to attend the club's presentation night at Panthers Leagues Club on Wednesday night, with his future expected to be the elephant in the room.
