League: Warriors confirm talks with Kieran Foran

The man who brought Kiwis five-eighth Kieran Foran to Parramatta is now resigned to losing the troubled playmaker to a rival team. Photo / Getty Images.

Sonny Bill Williams has emerged as a key influencer in rehabilitating Kieran Foran as the troubled Kiwi league star eyes a one-year contract at the Warriors.

According to the Sydney Daily Telegraph, Williams has invited Foran to come and stay with him in Auckland as the All Blacks star recovers from an operation on partial tear to his achilles tendon suffered at the Sevens tournament at the Rio Olympics.

Foran will wait until Williams is past the worst of his recovery before flying to New Zealand to stay with him and take a look around the country.

During that time, he is tipped to continue negotiations with the Warriors to resurrect his flagging league career which has been stalled by depression, a prescription pills addiction and claims of gambling problems.

Insiders say a move away from Australia is being increasingly considered most beneficial to Foran's recovery.

Williams and Foran are old friends. They became close during their NRL stints in Sydney and during the 2012 league World Cup in the United Kingdom.

With his strict training ethic and disciplined lifestyle, SBW is seen as a positive influence on Foran.

Last month Foran was released from his multi-million dollar contract with the Parramatta Eels whom he had moved to after a stellar career with the Manly Sea Eagles.

He signed a reported $5 million, four-year deal in the off-season but his stint in blue and gold lasted just seven games before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in round 12. He also missed time after checking into a rehabilitation clinic in April.

According to the Daily Telegraph Warriors chief executive Jim Doyle has been in talks with Foran.

"I have been talking to Kieran for quite some time, helping him work through the issues he's had," Doyle said.

"I'll continue to talk to him through these issues."

Doyle has a strong relationship with Foran, going back to win the Warriors boss as in charge of New Zealand Rugby League.

"Of course we'd love to have him," Doyle told the Daily Telegraph.

The Eels announced their decision to release Foran in July with a short statement on the club website last month after he requested a release.

"The Parramatta Eels have today granted Kieran Foran a release from the remainder of his contract with the club. The Eels wish him well for the future," the statement read.

His release was the latest blow for Eels fans in a disastrous 2016 that has included the cap saga, the subsequent sacking of club executives and Corey Norman's sex tape and drug charges.

-With AAP