Kiwi Test five-eighth Kieran Foran will honour Parramatta Eels’s four-year $4.8 milion deal which looks to end a series of episodes that saw the club’s marquee signing in peril because of an attempt to change his contract with the club.

Foran is expected to decline a multi-million dollar lifetime contract with Manly to give way to his contract with Eels according to reports of the Daily Telegraph. Earlier reports says that the New Zealand playmaker’s deal with Eels had been breached by the club itself with Parramatta’s board unaware of two clauses in Foran’s contract.

Despite Foran having the option to pull away from the deal and still get paid a quarter of the whole amount, it was believed that his respect for Eel’s coach Brad Arthur played the crucial part to honour his word and remain loyal in the handshake agreement he made with the Eels in march.

Parramatta Eels released a statement on Monday stating that the discussion with Foran and his Manager had been productive and it was the club’s understanding that issues surrounding the clauses can be resolved. They also added in the statement that the club was extremely disappointed that confidential discussions like these went publicly. Parramatta chairman Steve Sharp was unaware about the contract fiasco until earlier this month.

“Early in June we first became aware of some irregularities in the contract. We have a process when a contract of this magnitude is followed. That process has fallen down this time.

One of those irregularities put the club at a financial risk and we called the NRL immediately to put the contract on hold,” said Sharp via Daily Telegraph. The chairman also added that he was not prepared to point fingers, but was certain that a human error was involved.

However, Foran’s deal, which blue and gold legend Peter Sterling labelled as the most important signing in the Eels’ history, could still be hanging in the air with his manager asking the National Rugby League to grant other teams a salary cap exemption in case Foran changes his mind.

With a strong indication that the star playmaker will not be at Parramatta even with negotiations from both parties, Foran’s manager Paul Sutton met with NRL salary cap auditor Jamie L’Oste Brown at League Central on Wednesday and discussed other options for the Manly star.

Reports from Sydney Morning Herald says the requested meeting talked about the possibilities of the NRL granting salary cap exemption for rival clubs to sign Foran for next season with Manly, Rooster, and Bulldogs lacking salary cap space to afford him. This may lead to Parramatta making an increased offer to sign Foran and ensuring all of the reviewed $4.8 million deal will be guaranteed as payments either directly in the Eels’ salary cap or as part of the club’s marquee player allowance.

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