Gold Coast Titans to offer Michael Jennings million-dollar deal

GOLD Coast have upped the ante in the battle for Michael Jennings, with the Titans set to table a million-dollar deal to trump the Roosters.

GOLD Coast have upped the ante in the battle for Michael Jennings, with the Titans set to table a million-dollar deal today to trump the Roosters in a bidding war for the NSW Origin star.

As revealed yesterday on couriermail.com.au, the Gold Coast have entered the race for Jennings after parting ways with centre Beau Champion, who has returned to South Sydney on a two-year deal.

While the Roosters are considered frontrunners to snare the Panthers ace, the Titans have emerged as a left-field threat and held a fresh round of talks with Jennings' management on the Coast last night.

Gold Coast chief executive David May made initial contact with the Jennings camp late last week. The Titans have yet to submit a formal offer but will do so today if Jennings provides sufficient assurances that he is genuinely interested.

It is understood the Titans are prepared to offer a two or three-year deal worth up to $2 million, which would include a subsidy of between $100,000 to $200,000 from a Panthers club battling salary-cap pressures.

While Jennings has angered Penrith management with his disciplinary issues, of equal concern is his marquee $600,000-a-season deal which is heavily back-ended.

The Panthers can further ease the strain by offloading the 24-year-old speed machine to the Roosters or Titans, who are eager for strike power following their disappointing 11th-placed finish last season.

The Roosters were hopeful of brokering a release as early as last night, but the Titans' interest gives the Jennings camp a key bargaining chip.

May last night confirmed the club is targeting Jennings, who began pre-season with the Panthers on Monday but is likely to have a new home by premiership kick-off in March.

"We have really ambitious plans for the Titans. Michael is a superstar of the game and we want superstars," May said.

The Titans' signing of Jennings would raise eyebrows as the club has outlaid millions to secure Origin stars Nate Myles and Dave Taylor and former Test utility Jamal Idris in the past two years.

But the Titans are believed to have sufficient latitude within the increased salary cap of $5.85 million for 2013, especially given the club's decision to sever ties with star halfback Scott Prince in October and now Champion.