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Knights offer Ponga $4.5 million contract as All Blacks declare interest

The Newcastle Knights have offered fullback Kalyn Ponga a four-year deal that will make him one of the top five paid players in Rugby League history.

According to The Sydney Morning Herald, the new deal is believed to include an option that would allow him to play for the All Blacks at the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

Knights’ chief executive Philip Gardner told the paper that negotiations to turn the 21-year-old into the games next million-dollar player are well underway.

“We’ve told the Ponga family we’d like KP to extend his time with us,” Gardner said.

“We’ve offered him an upgraded contract for 2020-21 on the basis of an extension.

“The family know how much we want to keep him at Newcastle and they will come back to us with their view.”

If given the opportunity by New Zealand, the new contract would allow Ponga the flexibility to play at the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France and Gardner acknowledged the threat posed to him by the All Blacks.

“I’d be really surprised if the All Blacks weren’t talking to him now, that’s the kind of talent we are talking about here,” added Gardner.

“He could play for the All Blacks, the Wallabies, or he may end up going to Japan or Europe.

“We genuinely want the best for the young man and while he wants to play rugby league, we want him to play here at Newcastle in an environment that he enjoys.

“We have obviously put a deal forward that we believe is in the best interest of the club, but also in the best interest of him.”

Rival NRL clubs can attempt to secure the Queensland representative’s signature at the end of this rugby league calendar year, with Brisbane reportedly interested.

The Knights will unsurprisingly do everything to lock down the fullback on a long-term deal before the end of the 2020 season.

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