A swollen-up Reece Walsh took to Instagram following his long bus ride home from Sydney to Brisbane to deny news reports the fullback has reportedly agreed to terms over a new deal with the Broncos.
The Murri man, who is currently injured after suffering a head clash amid a tackle with Penrith enforcer Taylan May last Thursday night, is not off-contract until the end of next year, but NewsCorp suggests Walsh is willing take himself off the open market early.
Walsh is allegedly set to re-sign on a five-year, $5.5 million deal that ensures that the 22-year-old will be the NRL's youngest $1 million-a-season player and, by all reports, the highest paid player in the Broncos' storied 36-year-history.
After a falling out with the club four years ago and his consequential dash out of Brisbane to start an NRL career at the New Zealand Warriors, a proposed new contract would tie the Gold Coast-raised talent up to the club until at least the end of 2029 season.
While the news report does not suggest Walsh has inked the deal yet, he quickly responded to the unconfirmed offer via social media to shut it down.
"Don't believe everything you read," Walsh wrote on the Instagram post with a photo of the star holding his young daughter.
"No deal has been signed".
He also uploaded another photo on Instagram not long after just to reiterate that he was controlling the narrative of his future.
The caption to the image of Walsh kicking for goal said: "I'm doin me. I'll let you know when something happens".
The marquee talent has been another key retention target for the Brisbane's foundation club after playmaker Ezra Mam re-committed to the Broncos in January this year.
Justifiably the Broncos are keen to secure Walsh's future after rival clubs have a right to talk players within 12 months of their current contracts expiring from November 1 each year.
Rumoured salary cap issues had concerned some at Red Hill over retaining Walsh considering that Mam re-signed on big money after the club had sought successfully deals for its star forwards, Pat Carrigan and Payne Haas.
Pundits suggested Walsh could have fielded offers of $1.3 million a year on the open market, but the alleged offer is set to leave him $200,000 short of that mark.
The young gun proved his worth under pressure last year, starring in the fiery State of Origin series and will be coach Billy Slater's keys for Queensland to retain the state's shield once he returns from injury.
Walsh is set to miss the following four to six weeks after controversially suffering a facial fracture early in the loss to the Panthers.
The injury was so serious that Walsh travelled separately on an empty hire bus driven by club staff to his Broncos teammates to avoid the health effects of flying at high altitude on head injuries.
