Newcastle has suffered a significant blow ahead of the Christmas break after prop forward Leo Thompson informed the club on Monday that he will not remain at the Knights beyond 2025.

Thompson has been mulling over his future at the Knights for the past couple of months and on Monday decided to officially inform club powerbrokers of his decision to sever ties at the end of his current deal.

Thompson is contracted until the end of 2025 and has a lucrative upgrade-and-extension deal on the table with Newcastle, but has instead decided to reject the club’s offer.

Thompson is now considering a big money offer on the table from the Canberra Raiders, while the Bulldogs have also expressed interest in joining the pursuit for his services after recently meeting with the Kiwi international.