The door is open for Alex Johnston to become Papua New Guinea's first NRL signing, with a clause in his contract allowing him to begin negotiations early with the new franchise.
The dashing winger signed a two-year extension with South Sydney last month, keeping him at the Rabbitohs until the end of 2027.
Ordinarily, that would prohibit Johnston from negotiating with any franchise until November 1, 2026.
But AAP has been told a clause in Johnston's contract will allow him to begin talks with the PNG side early, ahead of their 2028 entry.
"Alex has said with his connection to PNG it would be cool to be player number one," Souths CEO Blake Solly told AAP.
"He has been a captain of the national team, played 10 Tests and is revered in PNG.
"He will always have a home here at Souths, but if Alex and his family do decide they want to be part of the PNG team on its entry to the NRL competition; we respect and support that decision."
Johnston visited PNG last month where he talked up his desire to give the new franchise an early boost.
"It would be pretty cool to be player number one," Johnston told The National during his visit.
"With my connection to the country, if there is an offer on the table, of course I would consider it."
The 30-year-old also spoke of his desire to represent the PNG Kumuls in the 2026 World Cup which will be hosted by Australia and Papua New Guinea.
He has already played 10 Tests for the Kumuls and was a member of the side that reached the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup.
Johnston, whose grandmother was born in Papua New Guinea, has expressed his desire to help take the Kumuls deeper into the tournament than they have ever been before.
"My motivation has always been to win competitions. Now it's also to create a legacy and play for my family and make them proud," he said.
"I want to encourage those young kids playing rugby league to dream big."
The 2014 premiership winner has a diverse heritage and is also Indigenous, having represented the Indigenous All Stars on four occasions.
He also played one Test for Australia in 2015.
Johnston will play against Gold Coast on Sunday afternoon in Robina as he closes in on Ken Irvine's all-time record of 212 tries.
Johnston has 207 tries in 239 games for the Rabbitohs. The last-placed South Sydney have four matches left in the season and will be hoping to find form to give him a chance of reaching the milestone before the end of the season.