South Sydney are preparing a formal bid for David Fifita as Wayne Bennett intensifies his push to bring the embattled Titans superstar to the Rabbitohs in Redfern for the 2026 season.
Discussions between Rabbitohs and Titans officials are already underway, as both clubs work to finalise a release that would pave the way for the star forward’s move and a reunion with the Rabbitohs coach.
According to the Daily Telegraph, the Rabbitohs are set to lodge a “multi-year deal” – expected to be two years – within the coming fortnight.
The potential switch would bring an end to Fifita’s uneven stint on the Gold Coast and provide him with a fresh opportunity in Sydney to rediscover the explosive form he showed with the Brisbane Broncos before joining the Titans.
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“We’re talking with the Titans,” Bennett said, as reported by the Daily Telegraph.
“We’re going through the normal process of what you do when you want to recruit a player.
“But I am very keen to have him and I’m going through the process.”
One of the NRL’s highest-paid players on a reported $1 million-a-season deal, Fifita has shown flashes of brilliance since arriving at the Gold Coast in 2021, but inconsistency has held him back.
Struggling this season, the 25-year-old has been relegated to the Queensland Cup, spending several rounds with the Ipswich Jets.
Speculation over a potential move to the Rabbitohs first emerged when veteran NRL journalist Paul Kent revealed on Kent’s Blitz that Fifita had reached out to Wayne Bennett to engineer an exit from the Titans.
"It's going around that he called Wayne Bennett up a few weeks back, obviously he's having problems at the Titans and he's not in favour with Des Hasler," Kent stated.
"I think if he'll get out, he'll get out, and I think if the Titans can get rid of him, they'll get rid of him.
"That's going to be the issue. How much money he's on and how much Souths are prepared to pick up if he goes, because the Titans will want to get him off the books...but they [Souths] don't want to pay close to a million dollars.
"Whether it comes to fruition or not, I don't know but certainly, he's making a few calls about getting out of the club."