Rugby league great Greg Alexander would be “stunned” if Xavier Coates joins the Melbourne Storm despite reports linking the Brisbane winger to the Victorian club.
The Broncos flyer is out of contract at the end of the season and has been courted by the 2020 premiers for some time having been spotted meeting with Craig Bellamy last December.
The Daily Telegraph are now reporting that the Storm's interest has ramped up with Coates touring the club’s facilities on Saturday, but Alexander can’t see the star winger reaching his earning potential at AAMI Park.
“I would be stunned if (Xavier Coates) goes to the Storm,” Alexander said on SEN 1170 Mornings with Matt White.
“The Storm are the type of club that won’t pay big money for wingers, otherwise they’d keep Josh Addo-Carr.
“In their salary cap break-up and who gets the money at the Storm, it will be their spine.
“It’ll be (Ryan) Papenhuyzen, (Cameron) Munster and they’ve just signed Jahrome Hughes on a $800,000 deal, and it’ll also be Harry Grant.
“They’ll also desperately want to keep Brandon Smith, but he wants to play dummy-half.
“They spend their money and fill up the other spots, this is why the Storm have been so good. They fill up players on the rest of the team for players on value money.
“I can’t see the Melbourne Storm paying half a million which is what Xavier Coates would be asking for. They can’t afford to pay half a million for a winger.”
If the Storm sign Coates he could act a like-for-like replacement for Addo-Carr who has signed at Canterbury from 2022.