The NRL integrity unit will interview former Manly chief executive Tim Cleary as part of its salary cap investigations after the Sea Eagles agreed to lift confidentiality clauses binding a raft of former staffers.

The parties remain locked in negotiations over the NRL's jurisdiction in its probe, with the Sea Eagles reluctant to hand over the personal laptops and phones of its employees. However, the release of employees from a gag order in their contacts is a step forward that will expedite the process.

The governing body will now request interviews with with several former employees, with Cleary chief among them. It's understood sensitive commercial information will remain off limits, with the integrity unit to only broach matters relevant to the investigation.

Cleary spent less than six months at Brookvale, finishing up his stint in May after his well-publicised feud with football boss Bob Fulton. Cleary had fallen out with the Immortal over his decision to sack his daughter, Kristie, who was working on junior development before her shift into a more commercial role. The pair had emerged from a crisis meeting just months earlier agreeing to work together for the betterment of the club, but Cleary's cards were effectively marked.