Penrith Panthers young gun Jesse McLean has been given permission by the club to negotiate with rival clubs despite having two years left on his contract.
McLean, along with his star NSW Blues brother Casey, both inked an extension to remain at the foot of the mountains until the end of 2028.
Although the club is looking to move in another direction, with the Daily Telegraph reporting that McLean is in the sights of the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs after the Panthers allowed him to explore his options.
McLean is yet to play first grade for the Panthers this year since his NRL debut in 2023, but will be a welcome addition to Belmore following doubt over Bronson Xerri's long-term future at the club.
The Bulldogs centre was relegated to reserve grade following their Las Vegas season opener, where reports emerged that he was seeking a release from the club.
Since then, the noise has settled and he has regained his centre position, though the recruitment of McLean could well and truly cast more doubt over his future at the club.
McLean has only been limited to four NRL appearances since 2023 despite his younger brother cementing himself in the top grade side and boasting representative honours with the Blues and the New Zealand Kiwis.
McLean is enjoying a classy year in NSW Cup for the Panthers, scoring 11 tries in 10 games in the reserve grade competition in the outside backs.
Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo would have crossed paths with McLean during his stint as an assistant coach at the Panthers from 2017 to 2022, and may have played a role in the Bulldogs' growing interest to sign him.
The Panthers simply don't have enough room in their stacked back line to accommodate McLean, with Thomas Jenkins recently inking an extension last week, cementing a long-term wing spot with Brian To'o.
The Bulldogs have their fair share of ex-Panthers stars, including Stephen Crichton, Viliame Kikau, Matt Burton and Jaeman Salmon, with McLean potentially adding to the list.
The Panthers will face the Gold Coast Titans, while the Bulldogs will host the Manly Sea Eagles on Saturday.
