The Panthers are growing increasingly confident of retaining Nathan Cleary on a bumper long-term deal but have ruled out paying compensation to lure his father Ivan back to the foot of the mountains for a reunion next year.

Fairfax Media understands the Panthers, who have previously insisted they wouldn't sit down with Cleary to discuss his future until the end of the season, have quietly upped the ante in the past week to keep their star halfback at Penrith beyond the end of next year.

Closing in: Nathan Cleary. Credit:AAP

And in what could be the first domino to fall in the race to sign the Cleary father-son duo, the Panthers are highly optimistic about Nathan signing a new multi-million dollar deal before he hits the open market on November 1.

It could lead to the bizarre situation of the Panthers biding their time appointing a head coach for the next two years if they can land Wests Tigers boss Ivan for the role in 2021, by which time his contract with the joint venture would have lapsed.