Boxing legend and Eels tragic Jeff Fenech says “he’d love” for his son-in-law Bradman Best to sign with Parramatta as the star centre weighs up his future.

Best, who is set to make his Kangaroos debut this weekend against Fiji at the World Cup, becomes a free agent on November 1 and intends to test his value on the open market.

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The Knights centre still has a year to run on his deal but rival clubs led by the Eels are set to go hard at the rep star.

Best, 25, is one of the best centres in the NRL and is fresh from a grand final appearance with the Knights.

The club is building something special, but Best has a young family now and needs to make sure they are financially secure going forward.

Best’s partner Kayla is the daughter of boxing great Fenech. The happy couple welcomed their first child last year.

“My family (is what drives me) and making sure that we’re settled and happy. I’m a father now so I’ve got to make sure we’re happy and healthy,” Best said.

“But I also want to win games. Money isn’t the be all and end all, but it goes a long way. I want to make sure that I’m winning games. I’ve just come off a grand final loss, and I want to chase that premiership.

“Walking away (from Newcastle) would be hard. I’ve been through the struggles for a long time, so to see where we’ve come now and what we were able to achieve was special. I know the club is heading in the right direction.”

Fenech hopes to see Best wear the blue and gold from 2028 and he may get his wish.

The Knights have offered Best a massive four-year deal but the Eels are preparing to table a rich offer themselves from November 1.

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“I would love Bradman to go to the Eels. They haven’t offered me anything, but they want me to be an ambassador and I would love my granddaughter and son-in-law to live here closer to me,” Fenech told CODE Sports.

“To be honest, I don’t give a f*** who he plays for, I just want that club to set Bradman up for life.

“I will say this – I saw how Justin Holbrook (Knights coach) got the Knights together, he took families to dinner, he made it a very family orientated club.. but at Parramatta, it’s crazy what the club can offer their players and families.

“Parramatta is a club I love. I would give up all my world-title belts in boxing to play one NRL game at halfback for the Eels.”

While the Eels will be hoping Best switches teams in free agency, the recent exit of recruitment guru Peter O’Sullivan from Newcastle may play in the Knights’ favour as they aim to retain the 25-year-old.

Best fired a surprise parting shot at the club’s former head of recruitment over his contract situation, suggesting a deal might get done now that the veteran administrator has left Newcastle.

Best has played his entire eight-year career at the Knights and indicated that O’Sullivan – who made great moves at the Knights but is now off to the Broncos – may have held him back from re-signing.

Peter O’Sullivan is Brisbane’s new general manager of recruitmentSource: Supplied

“I know there are a few of us lads at Newcastle coming off contract. I know the person that was handing out the contracts, a few people were upset (with him). But now he’s gone, so hopefully we can get something done.”

“I’m a Newcastle junior, I love it there and I’ve been there since I was a young kid. But I’m a father now and I’ve got to do what’s best for me.

“I’m here in camp and I’m worrying about this. I know that November is around the corner, so I’ve put it all on hold, so obviously I’ll be going to November 1.

“All the media talk and contract stuff will sort itself out. I’m in no rush (to sign). I think half the boys here are off contract so all the boys are talking about it.

“There’s plenty of cash going around apparently. So we’ll see what happens.”

Best is one of several fresh faces in the Aussie side to face Fiji, with the big-game hero set to live out a childhood dream that he told a teacher when he was at school.

“It means everything,” he said, with Best looking up to his father and legendary centre Greg Inglis as his footy heroes.

“There’s actually a photo going around at the moment when I was in year six. The teacher asked us what we wanted to do and what we wanted to be and to write down your dream.

“(For me) it was to play rugby league for Australia, so ever since I was a little kid I’ve been dreaming of this. It’s pretty special and it’s surreal.

“I truly believed it as a young kid and that’s why I wrote it down because that’s what I wanted to do. As I got older, I kept on working towards it.

“I hated school and put all my eggs into one basket which was rugby league. So for all the young kids coming through, I tell them to dream big and aspire to be whatever you want to be.”