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Hull FC are closing in on the signing of Manly Sea Eagles forward Joel Thompson for next season.

Hull Live understands the Black and Whites are close to finalising a deal for Thompson, who could join the club ahead of the 2020 Super League campaign.

The 30-year-old is coming to the end of his current deal with the NRL club and having made 200 first-team appearances Down Under, he is ready to test himself in the Super League.

The second-rower has featured in every game this season for Manly as the Sea Eagles hunt for a spot in the NRL Finals, scoring two tries along the way.

As a result of his eye-catching form, Thompson hasn’t been short of offers with several Super League clubs chasing his signature for next season, but it seems Hull are on the verge of winning the race to sign him.

His capture would represent a real statement of intent by FC for next season as they bid to close the gap between themselves and this season's runaway league leaders St Helens and as one of the most popular players in the NRL, he is sure to become a fans' favourite at the KCOM Stadium.

The Black and Whites’ recruitment team have been busy recently, announcing the captures of Josh Jones and Adam Swift from Salford Red Devils and St Helens respectively, over the last couple of weeks, while the club are also on the verge of signing New Zealand Warriors prop Ligi Sao too.

(Image: Getty)

Thompson rose to prominence while at Canberra Raiders, where he started his career in 2008. He went on to score 28 tries in 89 appearances, playing mostly under David Furner, who recently lost his job at Leeds Rhinos after a disastrous start to the campaign.

In 2014 he made the switch to St. George Illawarra in a deal worth a reported £714,000, where he spent four seasons before eventually joining Manly in 2018.

Thompson is of Indigenous Australian descent and has featured six times for the Indigenous All Stars.

With veterans Mark Minichiello and Sika Manu approaching the end of their current deals with FC and expected to leave at the end of the campaign and with interest mounting in Dean Hadley and loose-forward Joe Westerman, Lee Radford is already putting the pieces together for what will be a new-look pack.

As such, Thompson and Jones will be expected to compete with Andre Savelio, who joined the club in March and has been playing through the middle but is seen as a second-rower long-term, and Jordan Lane for spots in the side next season.