Parramatta has publicly declared its interest in disgruntled Sea Eagle Anthony Watmough for the first time amid growing speculation his next game could be in blue and gold.
The development comes as Eels chief executive Scott Seward boldly predicted the resurgent club would win two premierships and be the country's pre-eminent sporting franchise by 2020.
Watmough won't participate in Saturday night's sudden-death semi-final against Manly after accepting a one-match ban for a dangerous throw. Should the injury-ravaged Eagles bow out, he will not play again this year.
Fairfax Media revealed the NSW and Australian backrower had agreed to a three-year deal with the Eels, which would start when his Eagles contract expired at the end of 2015. However, it's becoming more likely he will ask - and be granted - an early release to switch to the arch rivals at the completion of Manly's premiership campaign.
The Eels have been tight-lipped about their interest in Watmough until Seward addressed the issue at the club's presentation evening at Le Montage on Tuesday night.
"If you read the papers, Anthony seems pretty happy at Manly. I don't think he's going anywhere too far," Seward said. "It's the kind of thing where if any club says they are not interested in someone of his talent, they're lying.
"From our perspective, if he's available - he's not available in 2015 at the moment - if he is available, we'd have a chat to him and add some talent to our squad."
Watmough has a strong relationship with Parramatta coach Brad Arthur from their time together at Brookvale Oval. However, Arthur wouldn't be drawn on retention or recruitment matters.
"I don't comment about recruitment. Every club needs to strengthen and we'll go about our process with that," he said.
After earning the wooden spoon in consecutive years, Parramatta finished 2014 in equal eighth spot, but was pipped for a finals place on for and against. Despite several years of instability on and off the field, Seward said the Eels would soon become the benchmark for all of its Australian sporting rivals.
"I would like to think we get to the year 2020 and everyone will be looking at the Parramatta Eels as the club in this country in any sporting code," Seward said.
"I would expect, and I wouldn't want to put any pressure on Brad or his team, that we will win two premierships in that period of time.
"I would expect that we will have 50,000 members and I expect we would have turned a club that's bled money and lost a lot of money for the last seven years into a profitable, self-sustaining football club."
The Eels have added Beau Champion, Danny Wicks and Shannan McPherson to their squad for next year, but Watmough is viewed as the game changer. The veteran forward would add much-needed experience to a side whose average age and playing experience is just 24 and 70 NRL games respectively.
"I think there's more upside in our team than any other team in the competition," Arthur said. "We're going to make sure we show that next year.
"We got close, but close enough is not good enough any more here."
