It comes as the Raiders prepare to face a side linked to the injured English star in the St George Illawarra Dragons at Canberra Stadium on Friday.

Raiders captain Jarrod Croker is confident his side will block out the noise surrounding Bateman's future after the club confirmed he would not see out the final year of his contract in 2021.

Canterbury and Super League outfit Wigan have emerged as the leading contenders for Bateman's signature but the Dragons have shown interest with salary cap space to fill.

The Dragons have a void to fill with Tyson Frizell to join Newcastle next season, while Jack de Belin's future remains in limbo amid ongoing court proceedings.

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But the Raiders refuse to let contract negotiations weigh on their minds, adamant Bateman will leave no stone unturned in his bid to win a premiership in Canberra.

"Making some noise from rehab isn't he. Batty has been up front with us, we know exactly where Batty is at," Croker said.

"Batty has been fine, he's in rehab and he is doing his shoulder work. His main focus is getting back on the field. That's all we're worried about it. He's going to be here for the rest of the year and he wants to win a comp as much as we do, so that's all we're really worried about with Batty.

"He's hard to understand at the best of times, so it wasn't too much [said]. The boys are all fine, it's a game and that's the way it is."

St George Illawarra have also expressed interest in wantaway North Queensland forward John Asiata following James Graham's immediate departure.

The Dragons are also on the lookout for an immediate replacement for James Graham after granting the 34-year-old an early release last week and have expressed interest in Asiata's services.

"They're both quality players and certainly we've got some room in our salary cap going forward with players leaving but, at the moment, I'm just looking at what we need to do right now for this year," Dragons coach Paul McGregor said.

"[Recruitment chief] Ian [Millward] is working hard in that space, he's looking to fill another two spots in our roster for this year and beyond."

NRL ROUND EIGHT

Friday: Canberra Raiders v St George Illawarra Dragons at Canberra Stadium, 6pm.

Raiders squad: 1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, 2. Bailey Simonsson, 3. Jarrod Croker (c), 4. Michael Oldfield, 5. Nick Cotric, 6. Jack Wighton, 7. George Williams, 8. Josh Papalii, 9. Josh Hodgson (c), 10. Sia Soliola, 11. Hudson Young, 12. Elliott Whitehead, 13. Joe Tapine. Interchange: 14. Curtis Scott, 15. Emre Guler, 16. Ryan Sutton, 17. Siliva Havili. Reserves: 18. Tom Starling, 19. Dunamis Lui, 20. Matt Frawley, 21. Kai O'Donnell.

Dragons squad: 1. Matthew Dufty, 2. Jason Saab, 3. Euan Aitken, 4. Zac Lomax, 5. Mikaele Ravalawa, 6. Corey Norman, 7. Adam Clune, 8. Blake Lawrie, 9. Cameron McInnes, 10. Paul Vaughan, 11. Tyson Frizell, 12. Tyrell Fuimaono, 13. Trent Merrin. Interchange: 14. Ben Hunt, 15. Josh Kerr, 16. Korbin Sims, 17. Jackson Ford. Reserves: 18. Eddie Blacker, 19. Tristan Sailor, 20. Billy Brittain, 21. Tim Lafai.