The Wests Tigers are reportedly the first club to present a formal offer to New Zealand Warriors prop Addin Fonua-Blake for the 2025 season and beyond.

Fonua-Blake requested a release from the Warriors recently on compassionate grounds, wanting to return to Sydney to be closer to his family.

As it stands, the star prop, who was named to the 2023 Dally M team of the year, will remain with the Warriors during 2024, before being given permission to leave at the end of the coming campaign.

The Tigers were one of the first clubs believed to be in the running for Fonua-Blake, and have been joined by the St George Illawarra Dragons, Cronulla Sharks and Canterbury Bulldogs.

All three clubs need forward pack re-enforcements and are likely to submit formal offers to Fonua-Blake in the coming fortnight prior to the Christmas break for all teams and players.

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But News Corp are reporting the Tigers have beaten the other teams to the punch, submitting what is believed to be a $1 million per year offer over four years.

That hits the first of the Warriors' requirements for letting Fonua-Blake go - that they pay none of his salary to play for another club from the commencement of the 2025 season.

Whether the Tigers - or any other clubs - will also have to stump up a player of their own to move across the Tasman is yet to be seen.

The Warriors have been clear on their desire to bring in a replacement for Fonua-Blake if he leaves, and there are no props on the open market even close to the star's level.

That means a player swap is the only way they could hope to fill a gap left by the prop. David Klemmer has recently been linked with a departure from the Tigers in a potential move to gain the services of Jarome Luai early, but that has cooled in recent times, and any appetite for moving across the Tasman on Klemmer's part remains to be seen.

Across the four clubs vying for Fonua-Blake's services, it's unclear which other players the Warriors may even consider as a suitable alternative.

It's believed Fonua-Blake will tour all four clubs facilities in the coming weeks.