The St George Illawarra Dragons are keeping a close eye on the contract situation of Matt Burton as it looks more and more uncertainty begins to grow on his future in Belmore.
The Bulldogs and Burton's camp reportedly cannot come to terms on a new deal, which is piquing plenty of interest from rival clubs, with the Dubbo-native expected to look around at his future options for a 2028 contract.
The Dragons have made a plethora of high-profile signings heading into 2027, but fresh reports from Phil Rothfield via Triple M suggest the Red V are heavily interested in having Burton make the switch to Wollongong.
If the club can land the big fish, it is unknown whether the plan is to play Burton in the halves or at centre, but given the Dragons have just signed Kodi Nikorima, who is in career-best touch, and Luke Metcalf, who has shown a world of promise, the Dragons' playmaking jerseys are highly contested at this stage.
But given Clinton Gutherson, Valentine Holmes and Moses Suli are all off-contract at the end of 2027, it opens the door for the Dragons to make a splash at Burton to bolster their outside back options heading into an exciting new era.
The Bulldogs made the bold switch to move Burton back to the centres mid-way through the 2026 season.
Burton's powerful boot, which has caught the attention of NFL scouts across the globe, was limited after the switch to centres, with the Bulldogs progressing with Stephen Crichton and Lachlan Galvin as the halves pairing to finish the year.
Youngster Kade Reed is also in the Dragons' halves depth, making it more likely that if Burton were to move to St George in 2028, his home would be in the centres.
The club has also added Kangaroos star Keaon Koloamatangi, Phillip Sami, and Connor Watson for 2027 while locking up plenty of their junior talent long-term, including the Couchman brothers, Hamish Stewart, Dylan Egan, Loko Pasifiki Tonga and Jacob Halangahu.
Dragons ? Where would they find the money ?
From Gutho and Holmes, I expect.
He would be a good signing.