NORTH Queensland is set to lose James Tamou to Sydney.

Cowboys general manager of football Peter Parr said on Tuesday night that he was yet to hear from Tamou or his manager Sam Ayoub after reports emerged from The Courier Mail that Tamou had advised the Cowboys of his plan to move to Sydney.

The Courier Mail has since reported Tamou’s manager as saying the prop has told the Cowboys that he intends to leave Townsville. Tamou, 27, has been linked with a move to Penrith.

“James has told me to instruct the club that Sydney is his preference for his family,” Ayoub said on Tuesday.

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“I as much as anyone would love to see James continue his career at the Cowboys but at the end of the day, sometimes family dictates these situations.”

While Ayoub indicated formal talks with the Panthers were set to begin, Tamou has been given time off from training to rehab his body after a bruising encounter with New Zealand on Friday and isn’t expected back at training until Thursday ahead of Saturday’s game against Melbourne.

Tamou, whose partner is expecting to give birth to their second child, is reported to have been offered a lucrative four-year deal by Penrith last week.

Tamou admitted to AAP on Tuesday that he was being lured by family to move to Sydney.

“I’ve got my kids’ family down here in Sydney, so we’re looking at that option,” Tamou said.

“We’ll look at everything and make sure that we’re happy wherever we go. That’s the main thing.

Obviously last year Canberra were in the picture but now we’ve got another one on the way.”

James Tamou of the Cowboys is tackled. Source: Getty Images

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The Cowboys have enjoyed a recent run of retention in their premiership winning squad with Antonio Winterstein and Lachlan Coote both inking new two-year-deals.

But after claiming a grand final victory, Tamou is now putting his family’s needs ahead of his rugby league career.

“A move back to Sydney’s been on the radar for a while, but after winning the premiership and Cootey re-signing, it really puts a stamp on where the team’s heading,” Tamou said.

“It’s going to be something special and you want to be a part of that.”