PLAYMAKER Anthony Milford was reportedly on the verge of signing a record deal with the Broncos, but a last-minute approach from the Melbourne Storm may be about to shake-up the entire NRL player market.

Milford has been deep in talks with the Broncos for months and, according to reports, is set to sign a whopping $2.7 million three-year deal to remain with the club — the richest deal ever offered to a Broncos player.

That was reported weeks ago and there is still no movement at the station.

Now a fresh report has linked the Storm with a move for the star five-eighth as a replacement for Cooper Cronk.

The Broncos have already lost halfback Ben Hunt for next season, but have gained the signature of Sharks utility Jack Bird.

Milford and Broncos captain Darius Boyd have had to watch on as the club signed Bird on a reported mega $1.2 million per season deal while they remain unsigned beyond the 2017 season.

While Milford was widely expected to remain in Brisbane, The Australian’s senior rugby league reporter Brent Read has claimed Melbourne’s play for the zippy No. 6 has created a battle between the two competition giants.

Hearing Melbourne Storm have made a play for Anthony Milford. Officials tight-lipped. Broncos have a fight on their hands — Brent Read (@brentread_7) May 2, 2017

Milford would be a hell of a replacement for Cooper Cronk. If anyone can make Munster-Milford work it is Craig Bellamy — Brent Read (@brentread_7) May 3, 2017

The Storm were also linked with a move for Warriors five-eighth Kieran Foran before he signed a deal to link up with former his former Manly coach Des Hasler at Canterbury.

The Storm reportedly have salary cap space to throw elite-level coin at Milford after Cronk opted not to take up an offer in his favour to stay in Melbourne for the 2018 NRL season.

Milford’s potential Broncos exit would create further havoc in the NRL player market, forcing the club to chase a replacement playmaker.

Broncos coach Wayne Bennett has also reportedly told Kodi Nikorima the impact player has six weeks to prove he deserves to replace Hunt in the No. 7 jumper next season — after being given a small window of opportunity to press his claim while Hunt recovers from a hamstring injury.

Milford’s ongoing contract saga has been having a negative impact on his performance and Bennett has previously called for the NRL to adopt the AFL’s end-of-season trade period in order to take pressure off off-contract stars.

After Milford’s quiet start to the season, Bennett admitted the five-eighth had been affected by speculation about his future.

“It affects everyone and he’s no different,” Bennett said.

Bennett hopes to finalise Milford’s deal soon but said no off-contract player was comfortable under the current system.

“There’s the issue whether you stay at the club or not and sometimes other clubs are chasing you with probably a lot more money than the club you’re at,” he said.

“Look at sport all around the world and no one has a chaotic ­system like we do. There are plenty of models we can take off and say ‘this is what we will do’ because it is what we need.”

Milford’s new offer was just one of several big developments in the NRL player market.

KNIGHTS RESPOND TO JAMES GRAHAM SUGGESTION

NEWCASTLE favourite son Matthew Johns on Monday night declared his former club should throw everything it has at signing Bulldogs captain James Graham for next season — and the club was listening.

Graham remains under contract with the Bulldogs, but has been linked with a move to a rival club following the Dogs’ marquee signings of Aaron Woods and Kieran Foran for next season.

Johns said Graham’s fierce competitiveness would make him the most important signing in the club’s history.

“Newcastle, in my opinion, need to make him an offer that he can’t refuse,” Johns said on Fox Sports.

“If they offered him a multi-year deal for big money, I reckon the Dogs will let him go given the service he’s (given them).”

Knights coach Nathan Brown told The Daily Telegraph the club is interested if Graham becomes available, but believes the Bulldogs are not prepared to let him leave.

“He is certainly someone we have inquired about and there is no doubt James Graham is a player that would help our club a lot,” Brown said.

“But Canterbury is not very keen to let him go, probably for the same reasons he’d be so good for us.

“Whether that changes or not I don’t know and whether James then would want to come (to the Knights) is another question as well.

“Look, he is certainly a player that we all know would help the squad from not only an experience point of view and being a good player but his competitiveness and the way he prepares is what our blokes need to see.”

TIGERS MOVE TO SIGN IMMEDIATE TEDESCO REPLACEMENT

THE Wests Tigers are chasing the signature of Warriors utility Tuimoala Lolohea as their long-term replacement for departing star James Tedesco.

Fox Sports reports the Tigers are in talks to sign the 22-year-old on a two-and-a-half-year deal to bring him to the club immediately.

Signing Lolohea would then allow the club to release departing five-eighth Mitchell Moses, who has asked for an immediate release to join Parramatta.

The report states Ivan Cleary is interested in signing Lolohea as a playmaker for the rest of the 2017 season, before moving him to the No. 1 jumper to replace Tedesco next year.

— with AAP