There are five rival clubs in the running for Penrith Panthers star prop Moses Leota who was given permission to negotiate with rivals early last week.
Leota has until just Wednesday to ascertain his worth on the free agency market, and then will take offers under consideration before making a call on his future at the foot of the mountains.
It's believed that the Brisbane Broncos have now joined the race for his services, with Wide World of Sports reporting the Red Hill-based outfit have joined the Dolphins, Sydney Roosters, Wests Tigers and Sydney Roosters in the race, while the Perth Bears are also interested, but only if they can get him for 2027, rather than having to wait until 2028.
On the other side of the coin, News Corp have revealed the Cronulla Sharks, Newcastle Knights, New Zealand Warriors and Parramatta Eels have all elected to opt out of any potential chase for the powerful prop.
The Wednesday deadline means Leota will need to move fast if he is going to lock his future in, although either way he would be back on the open market from November 1 given he is off-contract at the end of next year.
As it stands, the Panthers, who are facing an enormous salary cap crunch, have Leota under contract until at least the end of 2027, but are believed to be open to the idea of him leaving early if he can find the right deal.
Leota, for his part, has made it clear he wants to stay at Penrith, but as he approaches the twilight of his career, will also do what's right for him and his family, even if that means leaving Penrith, who have a litany of players coming off-contract at the end of 2027 alongside the prop.
“It's just to see what's out there and then obviously come back to the club and we'll sort it out that way,” Leota said on Friday.
“I am (happy at Penrith). My manager's got a job to do and I leave it up to him.
“For me, I'll focus on my footy and we'll get it done when we get it done.
“Credit to the club, they let me go to the market early and we'll see how it goes in the future.
“100 per cent (I can see myself remaining at the club) but then again I'll leave that up to my manager and go from there.”
Penrith's off-contract list at the end of 2027 includes Paul Alamoti, Nathan Cleary, Mitch Kenny, Liam Martin, Isaiah Papali'i, Blaize Talagi, Brian To'o and Isaah Yeo among others.
To'o is viewed as the most likely to leave, with the star winger wanting to join the PNG Chiefs, while Yeo and Cleary have both indicated they'd be open to testing the market.
Leota was always viewed as one of the more likely players to remain loyal to Penrith amid the potential mass exodus, but now the forward could be one of the first out the door.
Him heading elsewhere for 2027 would allow the Panthers to rebalance their salary cap and create additional funds by forward paying other contracts, but whether that would be enough to keep the entirety of their premiership-conquering dynasty in check remains to be seen.
At this stage, Penrith have made no signings for 2027, but confirmed they will lose both Liam Henry and Scott Sorensen to the Perth Bears for their inaugural season in the west under Mal Meninga.
