FORMER Wigan Warriors star John Bateman is among those reportedly being ‘shopped’ to Super League clubs by new Wests Tigers chief executive Shane Richardson.
Richardson is in the UK this week aiming to offload some of the Tigers’ stars as part of the club’s rebuild under his tutelage, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
Bateman, who is contracted to the Concord club until 2026 with a salary of $600,000, is one of those reportedly on the list, alongside former Penrith Panthers outside back Brent Naden, who is contracted until 2025 on $300,000.
The 30-year-old has played just under 30 games for the Tigers since joining the club ahead of the 2023 NRL season from Wigan, but he has failed to inspire an upturn in form that saw Wests finish bottom of the NRL ladder last year.
Bateman first came through the ranks at Bradford Bulls, debuting back in 2011 and going on to make 35 appearances before being snapped up by the Warriors.
At Wigan, the second-rower notched 132 appearances, exiting Super League in 2019 for the Canberra Raiders where he made quite the impression.
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