Leigh Leopards ‘to sign’ NRL centre with Ricky Leutele to join Super League rivals
Leigh Leopards are set to sign Tonga centre Tesi Niu for the 2025 season, according to reports which have emerged – with Leopards centre Ricky Leutele to make the move to Huddersfield Giants as a result.
Sky Sports revealed in the run-up to the Leopards’ clash with Salford Red Devils on Sunday afternoon that Niu – who Love Rugby League revealed earlier this year had been offered to clubs in regards to a potential move – is set to sign on the dotted line at the Leigh Sports Village for 2025.
Niu has been at the Dolphins since the start of the 2023 season but has been limited to just seven appearances so far in 2024. He has largely been limited to game-time for the Dolphins’ reserve side, Norths.
But he now looks set to make the move to Super League as part of what will be a new-look Leigh side in 2025. Big names including John Asiata and Zak Hardaker are set to depart the Leigh Sports Village, with the likes of Newcastle Knights sensation David Armstrong coming the other way.
And Niu looks set to become the newest recruit for Adrian Lam’s side.
That appears to spell the end of Leutele’s time at Leigh, with Sky Sports also insisting that Leutele will return to Huddersfield Giants as a result of Niu coming to Super League.
He has been in talks over a new deal for the past few weeks but they now look to have reached a conclusion, and Leutele will head back to West Yorkshire to take up a deal with the Giants.
Leutele has spent the last two seasons with Leigh having previously had two seasons with Huddersfield in 2021 and 2022. And now, even with uncertainty over their head coach for next season, the Samoan international appears to be returning to the John Smith’s Stadium.
