NRL transfer news: Player agent opens up about futures of Blake Ferguson, Josh Mansour and Stephen Crichton

The agent of Panthers young gun Stephen Crichton is flabbergasted how a player just out of his teens appears to be under pressure to commit to a supposed handshake agreement.

NSW's Stephen Crichton during NSW State of Origin training at Morrie Breen Oval, Kanwal ahead of Origin Game 3. Picture: Brett Costello

Blake Ferguson’s agent has shot down speculation the star winger is being pushed out of Parramatta to make way for Josh Mansour.

Meanwhile, Sam Ayoub, who also looks after Stephen Crichton, has strongly rejected any suggestion that the Penrith young gun has committed to a handshake agreement to stay playing under Ivan Cleary beyond 2021.

Ayoub also manages both Ferguson and Mansour and says in his most recent meeting with Parramatta football manager Mark O’Neill was only positive about the winger’s future.

Kayo is your ticket to the best sport streaming Live & On-Demand. New to Kayo? Get your 14-day free trial & start streaming instantly >

Blake Ferguson has one year remaining on his deal at Parramatta. Picture: Brett Costello

While Mansour is on the lookout for a new club after being told by Penrith he was no longer wanted, Ferguson has a year to run on his contract at the Eels and Ayoub said he was going nowhere.

“That has never been a discussion. I am his manager, no one has pushed it to me,” Ayoub said about Ferguson.

“As for Parramatta having interest in Josh Mansour, that has never been a discussion.

“I met with them a week and a half ago about a raft of issues at Parramatta. Not once was there a discussion around pushing Blake.

“In actual fact, can I tell you what was said to me: ‘We are looking forward to Blake (playing in 2021). We know it is a year he is coming off contract. He will want to have a good year and we are looking forward to that’. That is exactly what was said to me.”

Ayoub is also flabbergasted how a player as young as Crichton appears to be under pressure to commit to a supposed handshake deal.

Reports have suggested Crichton had previously agreed to honour an apparent deal that was put forward to him mid-season, which is claimed to have been for $500,000-a-season over three years.

Josh Mansour is on the lookout for a new club. Picture: Getty Images

It’s suggested the deal wasn’t signed off on by Crichton’s former agent Mark Stewart, but Ayoub was adamant: “Of course there wasn’t because it is incomprehensible to think someone would say that to a kid at 19.

“What is the handshake deal about?

“Is it about wanting to stay? Potentially, yes.

“Is it about agreeing to stay? How could it be?”

It does seem absurd to think in the cutthroat modern game that any club would hold a player as young as Crichton to such a deal even if it was true.

It’s hard enough these days for clubs and players, even coaches for that matter, to honour deals even when they have been signed off on.

The Panthers don’t need to be reminded of the outrage that followed Cleary’s decision to leave Wests Tigers.

Ayoub was also absolute he had not spoken to any rival clubs at this point.

He is heading to Brisbane for eight days from Tuesday and would then meet with Penrith in early December to get the ball rolling.

Crichton is contracted at the Panthers until the end of next season but was free to sign elsewhere for 2022 from November 1.