The Warriors' main target for next season remains England fullback Sam Tomkins but they are on the verge of adding another player for 2014 with Cronulla back-rower Jayson Bukuya close to securing a two-year deal with the club.
The 24-year-old is off contract with the Sharks and was entertaining offers from rival NRL clubs but has opted to join the Warriors, who showed Bukuya and his partner around Auckland about a month ago.
The deal could be completed by the weekend with his agent, Sam Ayoub, saying: "We are finalising it as we speak''.
The Warriors appear to have missed out on another Cronulla target, with Sydney's Daily Telegraph reporting today the Warriors offered more than $1 million a season for Todd Carney, who also knocked back a $4.5 million five-year deal with Penrith to re-commit to Cronulla.
Bukuya has played 42 games for Cronulla since his debut in 2008 and also helped Fiji to the semfinals at the 2008 World Cup. He's been used largely off the interchange bench in his five games this season, including the 28-4 defeat of the Warriors when he ran for a season-high 76m and laid on a try, and is known as an aggressive and mobile back-rower in the mould of Sharks team-mate Jeremy Smith.
He is rated by Queensland State of Origin coach Mal Meninga, having been included in wider Queensland sides.
Bukuya could be seen as a replacement for the Elijah Taylor, who has already signed with Penrith for next season, and there is also doubt around whether Feleti Mateo will re-sign with the club.
The Warriors are in talks with Mateo but these have stalled and he's also reportedly considering an offer from the Dragons. His wife is due with the couple's first child soon and their desire to return to Australia to be close to family is strong.
The club have a number of decisions to make around players, with the likes of Mateo, Jerome Ropati, Pita Godinet, Nathan Friend, Kevin Locke, Steve Rapira, Alehana Mara and Carlos Tuimavave off contract at the end of the season, although Friend has an option for 2014.
Yesterday they announced the re-signing of winger Manu Vatuvei on a new two-year deal that takes him through to the end of 2015.
The club have money to spend in the salary cap - which increases from A$5.85 million this season to A$6.3 million in 2014 - and will have to pay top dollar if they are to secure Tomkins.
He still has three years left on his deal with the Wigan Warriors but wants to test himself in the NRL and Wigan have reportedly slapped a $250,000 transfer fee on the 24-year-old, who is also likely to command $750,000 a season.
The Roosters and Titans have also entered the race to secure a player often described as the Billy Slater of the UK Super League.
