Reports: Warrington Wolves close in on signing from Super League rivals

Warrington Wolves are flying high in 2024 but recruitment plans are already in place for 2025 with Sam Burgess and his side identifying their number one target.

Since the May 1st deadline after which clubs can officially begin negotiations with off-contract players from other clubs, a flurry of transfers for 2025 have been confirmed.

The most notable, and shocking, of which has seen Hull FC confirm the arrival of Leigh Leopards’ skipper John Asiata on a three-year deal. Meanwhile, there have also been some expected arrivals confirmed too such as Mike McMeeken making a move to Wakefield Trinity for 2025 on a whopping four-year deal.

One club that is yet to make any moves is Warrington with the Wolves currently being completely off the radar in their recruitment. That’s changed though as the talks to sign a Super League star have ramped up with negotiations reportedly at an advanced stage.

Who will Warrington Wolves sign for 2025?

The man that Warrington Wolves have been linked with is Luke Yates, the Huddersfield Giants’ captain, with the Australian’s deal at the John Smiths Stadium set to run out at the end of the year.

Yates has been one of the Giants’ most consistent performers during his three-and-a-half-year stay with the club after arriving from Salford ahead of the 2021 season. Yates was so impressive that he was assigned as skipper after just one year and he’s led the club for the past two and a half seasons.

Heading into the 2024 season, there were over 100 players whose deal was set to expire at the end of the campaign with Yates being among a number of high-profile stars that will see their deal run out as Huddersfield.

Both centres Kevin Naiqama and Esan Marsters are on the list but it looks to be Yates who is the likeliest to leave with Warrington Wolves leading the way to land the Australian forward.

Warrington Wolves’ pursuit of Yates has seen the club at an “advanced stage” per the Warrington Guardian who have reported on the news, going further to claim that Yates may be the only man that the Wire recruit for 2025.

That’s a credit to the strength of their squad and the forward planning that has seen young talents emerge such as Leon Hayes before his untimely injury.

The Guardian went further and claimed that “the deal is close to completion”, which would be a huge coup for Warrington and a hammer blow to Huddersfield.

Signing Yates would bring in immense leadership and elite tackling with Yates named as ‘Hitman of the Year’ in 2023 as he topped the tackle charts with over 1,000. So far in 2024, Yates has made 320 tackles in just eight games and his absence has been evident with Huddersfield losing two of the three games that their skipper didn’t play in following a controversial ban during pre-season.