WARRINGTON Wolves are set to secure the shock signing of England international John Bateman.
As reported elsewhere overnight and this morning, The Wire are believed to have sealed a deal to bring the back-rower to the club from NRL side Wests Tigers on a deal until the end of the season.
The club themselves are remaining tight-lipped on the reports, which state the 30-year-old looks set to arrive in time to make his debut against Hull KR next week.
As things stand, there is no prospect of a longer-term deal for Bateman, who still has two years to run on his contract with the Tigers, to whom he will return for the 2025 season.
However, his arrival would boost Sam Burgess' side in the short-term with Lachlan Fitzgibbon still out with a shoulder issue, with no specific timeframe put on his return as of yet.
Bateman is currently in his second spell in the NRL having previously spent two seasons at Canberra Raiders in 2019 and 2020.
Having started his Super League career with hometown club Bradford Bulls in 2011, it was with Wigan Warriors when he shot to wider prominence, making 132 appearances between 2014 and 2018 and winning the first of his 24 England caps.
He returned to Wigan from Canberra for 2021 before heading back to Australia to join Wests in 2023
More to follow
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