Widnes could be about to enter a dual-registration agreement with Toronto in 2020.
League Express understands that the Vikings are the frontrunners to benefit from going into dual-reg partnership with the newly-promoted Canadian side, who have a large squad and are keen to strike up an arrangement with a Championship side.
The Wolfpack’s Martin Vickers was coy when asked last week about which club in the second-tier they were in talks with.
He said: “I think in terms of dual-reg and the younger players I’ve just mentioned, we’ve certainly got conversations going on with London Skolars in League 1.
“We’re narrowing down a Championship target which we’ll move up the pace with now we’ve done this big announcement (the signing of Sonny Bill Williams). We’re just looking at one club now, but we’re just working through the detail.”
But League Express has learned that it is Tim Sheens’ Vikings who are the side in question.
Meanwhile, Danny Craven has explained why he couldn’t turn his back on the club despite the Vikings reverting back to a part-time operation in 2020.
Craven has spent his entire career with Widnes, and the versatile 27-year-old did attract interest from elsewhere at the end of last season. But he said: “When I started with Widnes it was part-time, we transitioned into Super League through the licencing period and now we’re back in the Championship and part-time.
“I’ve been there since I was 17, the club is a big part of my life and I’ve had two children who love coming to watch their dad play. Running out again next year is something I will cherish.”