KR TABLE BID FOR DUPREE
RISING SALFORD STAR SUBMITS HIS TRANSFER REQUEST
HULL KR have made a major play to sign Salford Red Devils’ rising international star Tyler Dupree for next season and could land the player sooner than they anticipated.
The Mail can reveal Rovers submitted a significant transfer bid for the 23-year-old prop forward a number of weeks ago and after that bid was rejected, they returned last week with a six-figure bid in the hope of bringing the player to Craven Park for the 2024 Super League season.
That subsequent bid has also been rejected by the Red Devils. However, a new twist has opened up the possibility of a deal being concluded.
Dupree is understood to have become disgruntled at the Salford Stadium in recent months and after discovering two bids by Rovers have been turned down which would have allowed him to move to Craven Park next season, he has now expressed his desire to leave in a formal capacity by submitting a transfer request.
We understand Dupree handed in a written request following training on Monday morning and has told the coaching staff and board at Salford that he no longer wants to see his contract through and would like to leave.
It’s a brave and significant move that puts the Reds in a difficult predicament to contend with at a crucial juncture in their season.
Salford, coached by Paul Rowley, are currently sixth in the Super League, just two points adrift of second-placed Wigan Warriors, and have advanced to the Challenge Cup quarter-finals where they are scheduled to play KR.
Dupree has played an important role during the campaign, making 13 appearances so far this season and is seen by the club as a significant cog in their machine. At Salford, he has enjoyed a meteoric rise which resulted in him making his England debut last month. After being released by Leeds Rhinos at the end of 2020, he moved to Oldham, where he was named the Championship’s Young Player of the Year.
A move to Widnes Vikings followed before the Reds snapped him up midway through last year.
Salford say they have “strongly refused” Dupree’s transfer request.
The club’s director of rugby and operations, Ian Blease, insisted the club have no interest in selling Dupree, who made his England debut last month.
“I can confirm the club has received a transfer request from the agent of Tyler Dupree,” said Blease.
“We have strongly refused the request, with the player still a big part of our plans going forward.
“As a club, we are committed to retaining our players, and after a recent extension, Tyler is contracted until the end of 2025.”