Canterbury Bulldogs five-eighth Matt Burton is set to be offered a monster deal by the Perth Bears, with the chance of him leaving Belmore seemingly increasing by the day.
Burton is off-contract at the end of 2027, but was given permission by the Bulldogs to negotiate early as he aims to work out where his future lies.
News Corp have now revealed the Perth Bears are likely to come to the table with potentially a five-year offer, worth about a million dollars per season.
Five years would need him to be released immediately by the club, with a four-year deal otherwise to be offered between 2028 and 2031.
The Bulldogs appetite to release Burton is unclear at this stage.
Director of football Phil Gould has claimed Burton wants to remain at the Bulldogs, and that the club want to keep him, but there are other elephants in the room.
As it stands, Burton is understood to have been told he will not be seen as a five-eighth moving forward, and rather as a centre - and that means he will be paid as one.
The Bulldogs have long-term plans for Lachlan Galvin to be their five-eighth, partnered by either Mitchell Woods, Alex Conti or another halfback as they attempt to iron out what was a dreadful attacking run throughout 2026.
Burton was shuffled out of the number six jersey at the back-end of 2026, playing in the centres to finish the 2026 campaign.
Money will also be an issue for the Bulldogs if they want to retain Burton, with the Bears likely to be able to blow them out of the water.
The now long-term Bulldog, who actually won Dally M Centre of the Year with the Penrith Panthers during his rookie NRL season, is believed to be open to a move away from the Bulldogs, and was earlier this week also linked to the St George Illawarra Dragons, although it's understood their priority is to sign Jack Bostock.
