The Sydney Roosters have reportedly added Payne Haas to their radar as a possible recruit from the end of his current deal at the Brisbane Broncos.
It has been well-publicised that Haas has received a three-year contract offer from the Broncos - six years in total - which would see him see at Red Hill until the end of 2027.
It's understood that, while the terms of that deal are still being deliberated, the gun forward who has already become one of the best in the game at just 21 years of age, isn't in a rush to make his decision.
Instead, The Daily Telegraph are reporting that Haas is keen to be in a side competing for the premiership, and wants to wait and see how Brisbane perform in the coming season before making his mind up on whether to accept the mega contract extension.
The Broncos are understandably keen to keep the representative forward, and will have until November 1, 2023 to lock Haas into a new deal. The star prop will be unable to negotiate with any other clubs until that date given the length of his current deal to remain in Kevin Walters' side.
The Newcastle-born prop has played 61 games for the Broncos, but has already played seven for New South Wales and two for Australia.
His desire to win a premiership means the Roosters coming into the mix could be a fit for Haas, with the tri-colours generally competing at the top of the ladder.
The Roosters are also reportedly looking at Haas as a possible long-term option to replace aging veteran Jared Waerea-Hargreaves.
However, Broncos' director of football Ben Ikin told News Corp that the club would do everything they can to become competitive again, and a big part of that would be seeing Haas remain at the club.
“It is incumbent upon us to make a really strong case that makes it difficult for Payne to leave the Broncos,” Ikin told the publication.
“The Roosters would be one of 16 other clubs, including the Dolphins, who would be keen to get Payne Haas to their organisation.
“He is here currently, we have him for another three seasons, and everybody that works at the Broncos wants to get this club back winning again.
“We want to build a world-class footy program and if we do both of those things, we would hope it becomes a very difficult decision for Payne to leave.
“We’ll focus on things that are in our control. After that, Payne will have to make a choice. But we want him here, we value him highly and we are working hard to build a footy program that Payne wants to be part of for a long time to come.”
The Broncos have had something of a clean out for the 2022 season. The signings of Adam Reynolds and Kurt Capewell bring two experienced grand final players from the previous season to the club, while their strategy re-signing players has also shifted markedly under Ikin.
The youth re-signed to the club will hold it in good stead moving forward, as will the reported contract change for Kevin Walters, who no longer will have a fixed term, but rather, is set to be evaluated on a yearly review.
The Broncos have already increased Haas' contract value at the Broncos, but it's competitiveness they will need in order for him to remain in the Queensland capital.
That comes as Haas also battles his management company off-field, having split from manager Chris Orr and Pacific Sports Management.
According to The Sydney Morning Herald, Haas is no longer represented by the company and no longer paying fees from his current contract.
