England international set for major transfer as NRL future becomes uncertain

England international Kai Pearce-Paul is set to head onto the open market in the NRL at the end of next season, according to reports Down Under. 

The Newcastle Knights forward has been a revelation during his first season in the NRL, despite a difficult campaign for his club. He has earned rave reviews for his performances, and remains under contract with the Knights in 2025.

But as of later this year, Pearce-Paul will officially be able to speak to other clubs in regards to a move for 2026, as he enters the final year of his contract with Newcastle.

And the forward has reportedly informed the Knights that he intends to test the market and potentially court interest from other NRL clubs – with a huge contractual figure put against Pearce-Paul’s name.

He will reportedly command a salary in excess of $600,000 – well over £300,000 – if he is to sign a deal elsewhere in 2026.

Pearce-Paul is apparently still open to remaining with the NRL side beyond the end of next year but will almost certainly court interest from a plethora of Australian sides.

The forward is back in England at present ahead of what is likely to be a call-up for England’s end-of-season Test series against Samoa later this month.

He was in attendance at Saturday night’s Super League Grand Final to watch former club Wigan Warriors defeat Hull KR to retain their Super League title and complete an unprecedented quadruple.

But any notion of a return to Super League in the immediate future looks to be off the table, with Pearce-Paul set to pull in an enormous salary from an NRL side in 2026 to keep him Down Under.

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