![Luke Brooks is departing the Wests Tigers. Picture Getty Images Luke Brooks is departing the Wests Tigers. Picture Getty Images](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/168198572/dd897a30-c311-4cbb-a6f9-75364eda65e9.jpg/r0_111_2181_1342_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
With Luke Brooks' imminent Wests Tigers departure, the rugby league world was sent into speculation overdrive to decipher where the halfback could be headed next.
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The Canberra Raiders were one of the clubs on everybody's lips with five-eighth Jack Wighton leaving the capital at the end of the season to join South Sydney, freeing up their salary cap.
But other NRL clubs have stronger links to the Tigers stalwart, who after 11 years informed the "disappointed" club he would not commit to a new deal.
The 28-year-old is off contract this season but has told the Tigers this will be his last year at Concord.
The playmaker has put together an encouraging run this season, until suffering a hamstring injury against Gold Coast on Thursday.
The Tigers made a single offer that they deemed to be "market value" only for the halfback, who has yet to play finals football at the club, to knock them back.
"We're very disappointed, we made an offer but I think it indicates how bona fide and genuine the club was to retain Luke," Tigers chairman Lee Hagipantelis told AAP.
"We made what we believe to be a fair market value offer according to salary cap expectations.
"The offer has been rejected and Luke obviously has decided for his own reasons he wants to explore the market and he's perfectly entitled to do that."
Brooks' decision to reject the Tigers offer could also work into the club's hands.
The Tigers have been looking to offload players to create room in their salary cap and Brooks' proposed deal - believed to be worth roughly $500,000 per season - gives them even more spending power.
Josh Schuster has been heavily linked to the Tigers, and signing the five-eighth could free up some space at the Sea Eagles for Brooks, who has the same manager as coach Anthony Seibold, as well as a host of other Manly players.
Meanwhile, the future of Ben Hunt is also uncertain at St George Illawarra to add to the NRL's mid-season musical chairs.
Hagipantelis said if Brooks had a change of heart the Tigers would be willing to get back round the negotiating table.
"The door is not closed, we conveyed an offer and as I say, we believed it to be fair market value and that offer has been rejected," Hagipentalis said.
"That's not to say that the door is closed if Luke or his manager came back to the Wests Tigers with an alternative proposal, it would receive all due consideration."
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