Lachlan Galvin has one foot out the door at the Wests Tigers. Here's what could happen next

After a bizarre month of headlines, rumours, bullying claims and on-field defeats, the Wests Tigers look set to part ways with young playmaker Lachlan Galvin.

The 19-year-old has been the talk of the rugby league world since announcing his plans to leave the joint venture at the end of his current contract in 2026.

Galvin has been linked to a handful of rival NRL clubs, but given he technically wasn't available to sign anywhere until November 1, nothing had formally come to fruition.

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However, that process looks to be speeding up after a board meeting this week, with Galvin now expected to be granted an early release.

While there will be plenty involved who will be happy to see the messy saga come to an end, there are still plenty of question marks lingering around the Tigers and Galvin.

WHO WILL LACHLAN GALVIN SIGN WITH?

At this stage, the most likely destination for Galvin will be the Parramatta Eels.

Ever since the news of his impending exit was made official, the five-eighth had been linked to the blue and gold outfit as a replacement for Dylan Brown.

It's no secret that Galvin has clear links to Parramatta, with his manager Isaac Moses both the uncle and manager of superstar halfback Mitchell Moses.

Galvin was a local junior and grew up supporting the Eels and even as far back as last season was linked with a move away from the Tigers to return to his roots.

Wide World of Sports also understands that as part of the Eels captain's negotiations at the start of this year, he told the club of his desire to see Galvin brought to the club at some stage over the next five years so they could play together.

There would need to be some navigating of the salary cap in order for the Eels to sign him with immediate effect - namely the fact that Brown is there until the end of this season on a substantial pay packet and at this stage, is a superior No.6 option.

There are certainly other places where Galvin could land too.

Phil Gould is a massive admirer of Galvin and has gone on record multiple times to speak glowingly about him as a future State of Origin star.

However, if you're taking the Bulldogs boss for his word, Galvin won't be heading to the club and they remain on their own trajectory in regards to playmakers.

Matt Burton is there until 2027, as is highly-touted youngster Mitch Woods, who was named in the first grade squad for the first time on Tuesday.

Cassius Tia also extended his contract recently, while the future of Toby Sexton is still up in the air as the ladder-leading Dogs weigh up a potential extension.

Speaking to media on Wednesday morning, coach Cameron Ciraldo remained coy on any potential pursuit of the in-demand prodigy.

"I think I've addressed this before and Gus has addressed it," he said.

"I only heard the latest updates just as I walked into this. It's not something we've had time to comprehend or talk about.

"Honestly, right now, we're just worried about tomorrow night.

"I'm sure we'll have those conversations in the future."

Another potential landing spot - as unlikely as it may be - would be the Sydney Roosters.

If you're putting a tin foil hat on, the glamour club have been clearing the decks recently and a player of Galvin's upside doesn't come on the market all that often.

However, the fact that club chairman Nick Politis refuses to deal with Galvin's agent is a pretty major hurdle and it's why the Chooks remain an outside chance to sign him.

Left-field options could include South Sydney - who have veteran Cody Walker unsigned beyond this year and starting to battle with injuries - as well as St George Illawarra, whose issues in the halves have been well-documented this season.

As it stands, all roads lead towards Galvin playing for the Eels - but rugby league is a funny game run by funny people and things can change by the hour.

HOW MUCH MONEY WILL LACHLAN GALVIN EARN?

Right now, it's estimated that Galvin is on a deal worth approximately $350,000 at the Tigers - a number that will rise astronomically when he signs with a new team.

If we're to believe the talk around town, Galvin's issues at the Tigers don't relate to money, but instead the coaching of club icon Benji Marshall.

With that being said, the shrewd operator that Moses is won't be leaving a dollar on the table when it comes to one of his prized clients.

Expect to see Galvin's future contract worth anywhere from $800,000 to $1.1 million, such is the shortage of quality playmakers in the modern game.

WHO WILL REPLACE LACHLAN GALVIN?

This one is quite obvious and if it weren't for an untimely injury, there's a very strong chance that Galvin would already be gone from Concord.

Latu Fainu - regarded as one of the best young halves in the game - was brought to the club around the same time as Galvin and was quickly leapfrogged in the pecking order.

However, the Tigers still have massive plans for Fainu, who is signed until 2027 on a pretty decent amount of money and could be the long-term foil for Jarome Luai.

The only reason Fainu isn't already wearing the No.6 jumper is because he fractured his thumb just over a week before Galvin's decision to leave the club.

It's expected Fainu will return after the side's round 12 bye and slot straight into the halves, which certainly softens the blow of Galvin's likely release from the club.

There's also the option to revert back to Jayden Sullivan, who is on loan with the Rabbitohs for this year but could still return to the Tigers for 2026 and 2027.

Sullivan has played 10 games this season for the Bunnies, featuring in a variety of roles and showing a glimpse of his potential under Wayne Bennett.

WHO - OR WHAT - WILL THE TIGERS GET IN RETURN?

According to reports from The Sydney Morning Herald, the main conditions that the Tigers have put forward to Galvin and his management regarding an early exit revolve around the legal case, which alleges he was bullied by his teammates.

The other condition is that the Tigers would receive a transfer fee, with that figure yet to be agreed upon by the club.

There's also a world where the Tigers could look for an immediate player swap.

A few weeks ago, there had been suggestions of a three-way player swap that would see Galvin to Parramatta, Brown to Newcastle and Kai Pearce-Paul to the Tigers.

While that's purely speculation at this stage, Pearce-Paul is expected to make the move to the Tigers next season, so it definitely has some merit.

CAN THE TIGERS STILL MAKE THE FINALS?

Absolutely they can.

After 11 matches, the Tigers currently sit on five wins and six losses. They are also just one win outside the top-eight, albeit their points differential is a little ugly.

A halves pairing of Luai and Fainu is more than formidable, while the other two members of the spine - Api Koroisau and Jahream Bula - are extremely crafty and talented players who can create plenty of points, while Tallyn Da Silva is a spark off the bench.

Then you've got a front-row combination of Terrell May and Fonua Pole causing havoc in the middle, Samuela Fainu continuing to improve on the edge and workhorses like Alex Twal and Alex Seyfarth doing a serviceable job in the pack.

The elephant in the room is that outside a few flashes of brilliance, Galvin also hasn't been setting the world on fire since earning a recall from a brief NSW Cup stint.

In the past four games, Galvin has missed 17 tackles and made five errors, including a costly bombed try in the 22-12 defeat against the Rabbitohs last weekend.

For the season in total, Galvin has made 14 errors, which places him behind just one other playmaker - Roosters star Sandon Smith - in the entire competition.

For coach Marshall and the senior players, getting the Galvin mess out of the way once and for all might be the spark that's needed to reignite their campaign.

While it won't be easy, the Tigers have shown against Cronulla and St George Illawarra this season that they have the ability to win tight games against quality teams.