Castleford Tigers are chasing Salford winger Derrell Olpherts.
League Express understands the Tigers have wasted little time starting their pursuit of the Red Devils’ speedster, who is off-contract at the end of the season
The Tigers are in the market for a new winger, and they have drawn up a list of potential recruits, which also includes Bradford’s Ethan Ryan.
But 27-year-old Olpherts is understood to be the top target after impressing at the AJ Bell Stadium.
Wakefield-born Olpherts is in his second season with the Red Devils after spending three years in League 1 with Hemel Stags and Newcastle Thunder.
He joined Salford ahead of the 2018 season and has scored twelve tries in 33 appearances.
Olpherts is currently fourth in Super League’s metre-making charts, with only Reece Lyne, Liam Watts and Oliver Gildart making more ground this season. Castleford have three outside backs off-contract at the end of next season in Tuoyo Egodo, Kieran Gill and Greg Minikin, with the latter looking likely to leave the club after contract talks stalled.
Minikin is currently being offered around clubs and, while a deal elsewhere has not been agreed, the most probable outcome at this stage is that he will leave at the end of the season.
The futures of Egodo and Gill are also unclear, but Castleford’s interest in outside backs suggests their futures are uncertain.
Meanwhile, Jordan Rankin will remain at the Tigers next season after the club agreed to extend the swap deal that saw Joe Wardle join Huddersfield.
The two clubs signed off a deal last week that will see the pair remain with their respective clubs beyond the end of the current campaign.
Rankin and Wardle swapped clubs in January, initially on loan, although both parties expressed a desire to make the loans permanent.
While that hasn’t yet happened, the fresh agreement will see the two players remain where they are for the final year of their contracts at their parent club.
