Newcastle coach Nathan Brown meets with Kieran Foran after the Knights miss Jack Bird

AFTER missing out on Jack Bird, Newcastle coach Nathan Brown has met with Kieran Foran with the aim of bringing more star power to the Knights.

The Knights hope to sell family ties to Foran. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

THEY were beaten to the punch by Brisbane for the signature of Jack Bird.

But the Newcastle Knights aren’t about to give up the fight for a marquee signing to bolster the struggling club with Warriors playmaker Kieran Foran the latest star to emerge as a potential target.

The Daily Telegraph can reveal Foran met with Newcastle coach Nathan Brown on the Central Coast on Sunday, less than 24 hours after the Warriors took on the Raiders in Canberra, to talk about the possibility of the Kiwi international becoming a figurehead of the Knights’ rebuild in 2018.

Their meeting came just days after Warriors teammate Ben Matulino made a flying visit to Newcastle for a look around the city and preliminary discussions regarding his future.

KOSTJASYN’S CAREER IN THE BALANCE

Brown confirmed the Foran meeting when contacted on Monday but suggested he is none the wiser about his future plans.

“We met up on the Central Coast and had a chat but honestly, whether living in Newcastle is a genuine option for Kieran, I don’t know,” Brown said.

“Only time will answer that.”

The Knights certainly have the financial clout to land a big fish like Foran.

They are believed to be well under the salary cap this season and will have around a further $900,000 freed up next year with Jarrod Mullen facing a drugs ban.

The Knights hope to sell family ties to Foran. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Their offer to Bird was close to $1 million a season over three years and the club may even be prepared to go a little higher than that to try and secure Foran’s signature.

But ultimately, it may not come down to money with the likes of the Bulldogs and Wests Tigers other potential suitors.

The suggestion is family considerations will be paramount in whatever decision he makes with Foran looking at a move back to Sydney to be closer to his two children Emerson and Jordan, who live on the northern beaches with his former partner Rebecca Pope.

Whether living in Newcastle becomes a viable option from a family perspective with Foran’s mother residing on the Central Coast remains to be seen but the Knights want to give themselves every chance.

After snaring young Cowboys star Kayln Ponga, the club made overtures to both Cowboys prop Matt Scott and Melbourne Storm backrower Dale Finucane with both players deciding to remain at their current clubs.

They had a serious crack at Sharks prop Matt Prior only to see him re-sign with Cronulla before the Bird negotiations ended with the Origin star favouring a move to the Broncos.

They have expressed an interest in Canterbury prop James Graham should he be released from the final year of his contract by the Bulldogs.