Moses Mbye's possible mid-season move to St George Illawarra looks set to fall flat with Wests Tigers keen to keep him until the end of the year.
The Dragons confirmed on Thursday they were interested in Mbye for a mid-season switch, after he was given permission to look elsewhere in March.
However the Tigers maintained from the outset he was not available for this year, with the former Queensland player now starting in the halves.
Mbye would have been a handy pick-up for the Dragons this season, given their shortages in the outside backs through suspension.
The club even moved to bring Gerard Beale out of NRL retirement and the Queensland Cup this week, in a bid to play him in round 11.
But they have been told Mbye is off limits for this year unless they can be offered a reasonable player in return.
"They obviously offered him around a month or so ago and as we understood he had the opportunity to leave the club," Dragons coach Anthony Griffin said.
"He's a classy player and we were interested but I think they've gone cold on that."
Whether Mbye would still be an option for the Dragons next season remains to be seen with Corey Norman off-contract at the club.
Norman has indicated he would be keen to stay, but it's likely he would not be on the same big-money deal he is on now.
Fellow halves Adam Clune and Ben Hunt are already locked in at the Dragons, but Mbye could provide a utility option if not required in the centres.
Gold Coast could be another potential option, after showing some interest in Mbye previously.
Mbye's deal with the Tigers is worth around $800,000 a season and it's believed the joint venture is hoping another club would pick up about half of that next year.
The Tigers also have Russell Packer's $750,000 deal ending at the end of this year, with their salary cap struggles set to largely clear up.
Jackson Hastings will arrive from England as a high-profile recruit, effectively taking Mbye's role if the 27-year-old does find a new club.
Meanwhile the Tigers are believed to have some interest in Brisbane's Tevita Pangai and Jamayne Isaako, though both are still contracted until the end of next year.
Coach Michael Maguire was coy on that topic on Thursday, as well as Mbye's future.
"Moses is with us this year," he said.
