The Wests Tigers are reportedly pulling out all the stops to land Penrith playmaker Jarome Luai and are even prepared to release a star forward in the process.
The Tigers are currently the hot favourite to land the New South Wales and Samoa representative and are prepared to offer Luai up to $4 million to get his signature.
In order to get the deal done, the Tigers are looking to offload David Klemmer to a rival club in a salary dump which The Daily Telegraph's Riccio says has come as a shock to Klemmer and his management.
“Suddenly, David Klemmer has emerged as a key figure in the Wests Tigers’ pursuit of Jarome Luai,” Riccio said on SEN 1170 Breakfast.
“Klemmer’s name has been floated to a number of clubs by a person who is unrelated to Klemmer or his management.
“I can’t confirm if it’s a Wests Tigers official but there is certainly an agitation to get Klemmer off the Tigers’ books.
“(His salary) sits at around $750,000 a season until at least 2026 and he’s only 12 months into that deal.
“It just speaks to the situation at the Wests Tigers and how keen they are on Jarome Luai.
“The David Klemmer situation does suggest that they do need to get rid of some money to get Luai in.”
Klemmer managed to play all 24 games in 2023 and was one of the Tigers’ most consistent performers in another poor year for the club.
Luai has a year left to run on his contract at Penrith and given the Tigers would only acquire him by 2025, SEN’s Andrew Voss does not support the Tigers shopping Klemmer around a year early.
“If they are not getting Luai until the following year, then it’s an awful situation for a player like David Klemmer,” Voss said on SEN 1170 Breakfast.
“Try your guts out for us next year, but we don’t want you the year after that because we have someone else coming in next year so you’ll have to go.
‘It’s a terrible situation for Klemmer who will have to play for the Tigers next year but he’s being shunted.”
The Tigers begin their 2024 season with a bye before travelling to Canberra to take on the Raiders in Round 2.