Auckland Blues big guns set to fly to Sydney this weekend in bid to tie up deal for Benji Marshall

BLUES coach Sir John Kirwan and chief executive Andy Dalton will fly to Sydney on Sunday to talk again with Benji Marshall.

SUPER Rugby franchise the Blues will reportedly fly coach Sir John Kirwan and chief executive Andy Dalton to Sydney on Sunday to talk again with Benji Marshall.

Wests Tigers NRL star Marshall is comparing the international doors that open through playing in Auckland with the commercial advantages of staying in Sydney as he plots his switch to rugby union.

The 28-year-old shocked the rugby league fraternity on Monday by requesting a release from the final two years of his NRL contract with the Wests Tigers after rejecting an upgraded deal.

His manager Martin Tauber confirmed on Tuesday that the Blues and Waratahs are the only teams on his radar.

He also hopes to secure a short but lucrative stint in Japanese club rugby later this year.

Tauber says discussions are also ongoing with the Waratahs.

"If he chose to go to the Waratahs, it would be because he doesn't want to move or because of the opportunities in Sydney through television and goodness knows what else,'' Tauber told New Zealand's Radio Sport on Wednesday.

Benji Marshall

"But I'm sure he could probably arrange and do (the same) if he made the call to live in Auckland."

The prospect of playing for the All Blacks and for a sevens gold medal at the 2016 Olympic Games also hold considerable appeal, Tauber said.

He can't achieve either by signing with the Waratahs.

The Australian Rugby Union says Olympic sevens players will be picked from players who are available for the Wallabies.

Marshall refuses to play for Australia, applying the same staunch principles that has seen him rule out representing any NRL club outside the Tigers.

"If he plays for the Waratahs, he won't play for Australia," Tauber said.

"That means his career, basically, would be a Super 15 contract and the possibility of overseas coaching or playing."

Under the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) collective agreement, he would earn no more than $NZ240,000 ($A208,100) playing a full season of Super Rugby and domestic ITM Cup rugby.

The NZRU can top up player contracts, as it did to lure Sonny Bill Williams in 2010, but has indicated it won't do so for Marshall.

Tauber says he is investigating what third-party options might be available among the NZRU's commercial partners while the Blues could also dig into their coffers.