St George Illawarra Dragons lose Luciano Leilua to Wests Tigers

Latrell Mitchell isn’t the only player on the Wests Tigers’ radar with the club raiding rivals St George Illawarra to sign one of their star players on a multi-year deal.

Luciano Leilua of the Dragons during the Round 22 NRL match between the Cronulla Sharks and the St George Illawarra Dragons at Pointsbet Stadium in Sydney, Sunday, August 18, 2019. (AAP Image/Joel Carrett) NO ARCHIVING, EDITORIAL USE ONLY

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Wests Tigers are ready to pounce on talented St George Illawarra back-rower Luciano Leilua.

As the club continues its chase for unsettled Sydney Roosters centre Latrell Mitchell, The Daily Telegraph understands that Leilua is also on the verge of committing to a three-year deal worth an estimated $1.2 million.

Leilua, 23, is fast emerging as one of the most skilful backrowers in the game but is yet to really cement his starting spot at the Dragons.

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Luciano Leilua (second from right) is expected to jin Wests Tigers. Picture: AAP

This year he played 22 games in total but 17 were off the bench.

All up he has played 43 NRL games and 33 off as an interchange player.

It is believed the deal will be finalised in the next two weeks so Leilua can make a clean switch when he returns to pre-season training in early December.

The Dragons have had a disrupted off-season in the wake of the Phil Gould-led review and last week’s revelation that chief executive Brian Johnston would be departing the club in 2020.