The NRL is on the verge of signing a $1.35 billion pay deal with its players, which will give its female stars 30 times more money, and will not affect broadcast deals, the sport’s chief executive Andrew Abdo has said.

Sources with knowledge of the negotiations said NRL players would soon have a more than 40 per cent revenue share in the game, which equated to $1.347 billion over the term of the collective bargaining agreement between 2023 and 2027, an overall increase of $367 million or nearly 40 per cent.