Rhinos close in on NRL star

Leeds Rhinos are hoping to finalise a deal to bring Matt Prior to the club this week.

The Rhinos are in the driving seat to sign the 32-year-old Cronulla forward and they are ready to kick on in their pursuit of the Sharks veteran in the coming days.

In recent weeks, the club has offloaded Nathaniel Peteru, Brett Ferres and Brad Singleton, the latter having now signed for Toronto Wolfpack.

That has opened up the cap space to recruit Prior, who played State of Origin last year, and a quota spot required to draft him in.

While Peteru only took up a non-Federation trained spot, Rhyse Martin, one of the club’s five full overseas players, is set to get a PNG passport, which will bring him off the quota.

That means everything is now in place for the Rhinos to get the deal done, and they are hoping to do that this week when Prior returns from an end-of-season holiday.