Nathan Cleary looks set to reject a big-money offer from the PNG Chiefs and commit his future to Penrith Panthers – ending one of the NRL’s big transfer sagas.

Cleary has been on the open market for a matter of days, after he entered the final year of his existing deal with the Panthers on November 1.

However, it now looks as though any talks with rival clubs are firmly off the table – after reports in Australia suggested he had agreed to a new contract with Penrith.

Nathan Cleary to stay at Penrith

News has broken in Australia that Panthers officials are increasingly confident they have agreed terms on a deal with Cleary to keep him at the club.

That will officially close off any interest from the Chiefs, who had made no secret of their desire to test the waters with the Kangaroos superstar and see if he could be tempted by the significant financial sums they can offer – as well as the sizeable tax breaks.

But it appears Cleary is now going to stay in Penrith.

The Sydney Morning Herald’s Danny Weidler has revealed Cleary looks set to sign a two-year deal, with a two-year option in his favour – which takes him through to at least the end of the 2028 season.

The Chiefs have reportedly been informed that they have missed out on Cleary’s signature, with the Panthers now the frontrunners. A deal has not yet been struck, with certain contractual obligations to be thrashed out.

Penrith turn attention to next off-contract star

Having seemingly done deals for Isaah Yeo and Cleary, Penrith’s attention now turns to another of their big names – forward Moses Leota.

He is also on the open market as of November 1 and has interest from other clubs, but the Panthers are determined to lock him into a new deal and tie down another star of their current team under Ivan Cleary.

“The Panthers have said to us they will make him an offer this week,” Leota’s agent, Gavin Orr, said. “He has a game to play this week (for New Zealand against Tonga) so he is staying focused on the game at hand.

“His preference is to stay at Penrith, but we’re looking at other clubs, too.”

But the big news appears to be that the world’s best player will once again continue his affiliation with Penrith and commit his future to the club for at least the next two years.