NRL

Latrell Mitchell could be in line for a massive payday in Perth, with the new Perth Bears reportedly preparing a multimillion-dollar play for the South Sydney superstar that the Rabbitohs are unlikely to match according to reports at CODE Sports.

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The Bears are closely monitoring Mitchell’s contract situation at the Rabbitohs and are expected to enter the race for his signature if he reaches free agency on November 1, with reports suggesting the Western Australian club could be prepared to offer up to $1.7 million per season from 2028.

Mitchell remains contracted to South Sydney through the end of 2027, with the Rabbitohs taking a cautious approach to his next deal after another injury-interrupted season, while the Bears are understood to be prepared to at least match the $1.1 million per season he is currently earning.

The potential deal could become even more lucrative through salary-cap increases and third-party agreements, with Perth’s corporate market giving the expansion club another avenue to put together a package capable of competing with the biggest offers in the NRL.

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For the Bears, however, signing Mitchell would be about far more than simply adding another centre to their roster, because while they have now assembled a squad containing plenty of experienced NRL players, they are still without the genuine marquee signing who can immediately become the face of the club.

Perth’s 2027 squad includes the likes of Nick Meaney, Tyran Wishart, Toby Sexton, Harry Newman, Siosifa Talakai, Scott Sorensen, Josh Curran, Corey Horsburgh and Morgan Smithies, giving Mal Meninga plenty of experience to work with, but there is no question the roster is still being viewed with plenty of scepticism from outside the club.

The Bears have already been heavily tipped to struggle in their inaugural season, with one betting market having them as the clear favourite for the 2027 wooden spoon, while other analysis has questioned whether their current squad contains enough genuine game-breakers to compete immediately.

That makes the prospect of bringing Mitchell to Perth particularly significant, because the Bears aren’t simply trying to add another good player to a settled team; they need someone with the profile and ability to transform the way the club is perceived from the moment it enters the competition.

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Mitchell would certainly provide that, with the 29-year-old one of the most recognisable players in the NRL and someone who could become a major promotional asset for the Bears as they attempt to establish rugby league as a genuine force in Western Australia.

The other fascinating element of the situation is whether Mitchell could potentially arrive in Perth earlier than 2028 if South Sydney ultimately decides it is better off moving in another direction.

Any deal would obviously require the Rabbitohs and Mitchell to agree to an early release, but Perth has been given a unique salary-cap concession that gives the club first rights to contracted players who want to leave their existing teams, meaning an agreed move could potentially become a very different proposition to the usual expansion-club recruitment process.

For South Sydney, an early release would only make sense if the club became concerned enough about Mitchell’s injury history and long-term value to decide the money could be better invested elsewhere, particularly with rising star Tallis Duncan already the one player the Rabbitohs have been prioritising in their current contract discussions.

Mitchell has managed just 34 games across the past three seasons, although he showed exactly why he remains such a valuable commodity at the start of 2026, scoring 11 tries in his first nine appearances after settling permanently into the centres before a back injury again sidelined him.

There is therefore a genuine balancing act for South Sydney, because letting a player of Mitchell’s calibre walk away would be a huge call, but committing another enormous chunk of the salary cap to a player who has struggled to stay on the field could also carry significant risk.

The situation will become even more interesting once Mitchell is able to formally test his value, with the Bears now looming as a potential destination, while the fact Mitchell already has a great existing relationship with Meninga through his Australian representative days bodes well for the two parties to reach an agreement.

All of a sudden, the Rabbitohs could be facing a very different future, while Meninga’s Bears may have finally found the superstar they’ve been searching for to stamp their authority not just on the NRL, but in Western Australia.

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