The Melbourne Storm, Sydney Roosters and PNG Chiefs are the three clubs in the mix to land the signing of Cooper Bai after his management confirmed to the Gold Coast Titans earlier this week that he wouldn't re-sign.
Bai was originally locked in with the Titans to the end of 2028, but it was revealed by Zero Tackle shortly after he re-signed that the final year of his deal was a player option.
That has not changed since, with the PNG representative instantly linked to becoming a foundation player at the Chiefs.
The lock forward, who has impressed in his NRL opportunities with the Titans to date, has already toured facilities in Port Moresby, and it's understood the new club have put a three-year offer to him worth plenty.
But the Chiefs won't have it all their own way.
The Melbourne Storm, who have already come close to signing Bai once before, and the Sydney Roosters, are also believed to be in the mix for his signature per News Corp.
It is even reported that Bai has no interest in returning to the Titans for 2027 pre-season and will have a new club in the coming weeks, although it's unclear if the Titans have granted him permission to do that.
The former Queensland under-19 representative would be a major boost for the Chiefs, who are yet to make a singificant dent on their inaugural forward pack despite having seven players locked down.
The Roosters and Storm are also in the position of needing to pick up forwards for the coming campaigns.
The Roosters have lost prop Spencer Leniu to the Parramatta Eels, while the Storm were already short in middle third depth during 2026.
Bai, who has 24 games under his belt, is the son of Marcus Bai who played 144 games for the Storm during his career.
It's understood Cooper wants to sign a long-term deal, which could impact the Chiefs' chances of landing him if he doesn't decide to see out 2027 at the Titans.
