Junior Paulo will certainly be an NRL player in 2027 and likely 2028 too, but at which club remains to be seen.
The prop, now 32 years of age, has been weighing up his future in recent times, with his current contract at the Eels ending at the conclusion of the 2026 season.
Parramatta have a number of young forwards coming through their system despite the recent loss of Toni Mataele to the Manly Sea Eagles, and have also been heavily linked to making a play for Spencer Leniu, whose future at the Sydney Roosters remains under a constant cloud.
Despite that, the blue and gold want to retain Paulo likely through to the end of his career.
News Corp have reported that the club have offered Paulo a one-year extension through to the end of 2027, but have not ruled out the idea of future year-to-year contracts until he is ready to retire, provided his form stays where it has been.
Paulo has been out injured through the middle of the 2026 season, making contract negotiations tougher than they otherwise might have been.
The Bears, who have been linked to anybody and everybody, are also believed to be deep in negotiations with Paulo.
The difference for Mal Meninga and his recruitment staff who are understood to have met with Paulo over the weekend, is that they have offered a two-year deal for him to relocate across the country right off the bat.
If Paulo wants job security, and likely a pay bump, to finish his career, it now appears likely he will wind up in Western Australia as one of the club's most important players.
The chase of Paulo is no surprise, with the Dolphins basing a lot of their recruitment strategy around experienced forwards for their inaugural season where they wound up with Kenneath Bromwich, Jesse Bromwich, Felise Kaufusi, Jarrod Wallace and Mark Nicholls. Of that group, only Kaufusi is still playing.
There is no timeline on when a decision could be expected from Paulo.
