St George Illawarra Dragons have apparently eyed up their replacement for Jack Bird, who has stalled on the contract talks with the club.
That target is Cronulla Sharks star Briton Nikora who is off contract at the end of the 2022 NRL season.
Wests Tigers are also thought to be interested in the second-rower, who has already spoken to head coach Michael Maguire about a potential move to the club.
However, for St George to get Nikora, much will depend on Jack Bird, who is now looking at other options after rejecting the Dragons’ offer for a new deal worth around $500,000-a-season.
Unhappy at being asked to take a significant pay cut, Bird and his agent David Riolo have gone to the open market to see if any other clubs are willing to snap him up for 2023 and beyond.
“They made an offer before Christmas, we had a few meetings, but nothing’s happened,” Riolo told the Daily Telegraph.
“We’re not at each other but the talks have stalled. We’re on different pages at the moment.
“There’s a fair bit of interest from other clubs. I wouldn’t be saying he’s looking to leave at this stage but he’s got to look at his options.
“We’re now in the process of seeing what’s out there.”
The Sharks want to keep Nikora but are reluctant to get into a bidding war with rival clubs.
