Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy had little to say when asked on Thursday about links to Titans captain Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, because it was the first he’d heard of it.

Speculation has intensified over the future of Fa’asuamaleaui, who played his first two seasons in the NRL in Melbourne, after confirmation a clause in his 10-year deal with the Gold Coast leaves him open to test the open market on November 1 this year and potentially get out of his contract in 2027.

The exit of his younger brother Iszac from the Titans after he signed with Catalans Dragons in the UK Super League has created another element casting doubt over whether the Queensland Origin star would remain on the Gold Coast.

Another former Storm player and 2020 premiership teammate of Fa’asuamaleaui in Melbourne, Brandon Smith, stoked the fire more when he said he’d heard a “whisper” about a possible return to his former club.

“I heard a little whisper. I heard something about Melbourne,” Smith said on the Bye Round podcast.

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“Nelson’s (Asofa-Solomona) contract’s coming up. That’s all I’m saying, and he is on big money.”

Asofa-Solomona has struggled to get back into the Storm line-up but has been named on an extended bench ahead of Friday’s top-four clash with the Bulldogs.

But Bellamy was caught out when asked by the new links to Fa’asuamaleaui and conceded it could be tough to fit him into the salary cap.

“I can honestly say that’s the first time I heard that this morning,” Bellamy said.

“So I guess the recruitment guys are keeping it from me or who knows … we’d certainly like to have him back, but I’m not quite sure he’d fit back into our cap at the moment.”

Fa’asuamaleaui played 27 games for the Storm in 2019 and 2020, including in the Storm’s 2020 grand final victory, before signing with the Titans.

Melbourne has tied up star halfback Jahrome Hughes on a long-term deal and is now looking to keep fellow spine stars Ryan Papenhuyzen, Cameron Munster and captain Harry Grant out of the clutches of other clubs.

Munster has been linked to the new Perth franchise when his deal ends in 2027, while Papenhuyzen is a reported target of the cashed-up Rugby360 competition, which is trying to lure players from the NRL and rugby.

Storm has won four straight games going into the clash with Bulldogs, who have lost two games in a row.

But those defeats have not changed Bellamy’s expectations for the AAMI Park clash.

“The Bulldogs were testing everyone and probably the last couple of weeks they probably haven’t been where they were early in the season,” he said.

“But we expect them to come back on Friday night so we’ve got to make sure we’re ready to go for a real tough game,” Bellamy said on Thursday.

“It’s a pretty big game – two teams (from) the top four – and at this time of year we all want to be playing the best we can.”