Salford Red Devils owner Dr Marwan Koukash has told Western Australia Today that he wants to buy one of “two or three” NRL clubs in time for the start of next season.
“If it needs to be done, I’d do it,” Koukash said.
“People only need to look at the level of investment I put in Salford to see that I would do that.
“I’ve been working on two or three fronts. Obviously not everything is in my hands, it’s in the hands of other people as well. I’m just trying to see if something can be finalised at the start of next season.
“I’ve had discussions with [NRL CEO] Dave Smith and [NRL’s head of club services] Tony Crawford. That’s up to them to decide, it would be great to have the support.
“I hope they do [give the green light] because it’s a competition I admire. Since I started in rugby league in this part of the world I’ve always had ambitions to grow the game here to compete with the NRL. If you can’t beat them, you might as well join them.”
Financial strugglers Newcastle Knights are said to be the racehorse owner’s primary target, while Cronulla Sharks, Wests Tigers, Gold Coast Titans and St George-Illawarra Dragons are all crying out for a cash injection.
