St George Illawarra Dragons are poised to make a shock bid for Sonny Bill Williams in hope that he will return to the NRL, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.
It comes as the Dragons could be given dispensation for Jack de Belin, who remains sidelined under the NRL no-fault stand down rule.
It means the Dragons could cash in with the NRL, who are set to hand them a dispensation of $150,000 on top of their $100,000 salary cap for this year.
Under the circumstances, the NRL are giving the dispensation to the Dragons for a like for like player, and Williams is on their radar.
If he chooses to accept it would mean Williams will pocket half of the dispensation.
However, it could be difficult as Williams signed a $5 million contract at Toronto Wolfpack ensuring him that he is able to pick up 55 per cent of the deal.
The Dragons though face steep competition, most notably from the New Zealand Warriors. According to The Daily Telegraph, the Warriors could launch a unique bid for Williams.
Warriors officials reportedly contacted Williams’ manager Khoder Nasser on Tuesday about a five-match $100,000 deal.
“We understand the situation,” Warriors CEO Cameron George said.
“We’re looking for loan players so naturally we’ll look at Sonny Bill if he becomes available.
“We would have to be mad not to look at how it could happen.”
