Salford's fire sale is officially underway, but Hull FC and Hull KR will have to play a waiting game to land their desired targets. The Black and Whites have shown strong interest in Marc Sneyd and Deon Cross, while Hull KR have enquired about Nene Macdonald. Elsewhere, there are plenty of other players attracting attention, from Kallum Watkins to Jack Ormondroyd to Joe Shorrocks and beyond, with many clubs keeping tabs on the situation.

Meanwhile, the Reds have confirmed this week that they must now move on their players to bring down costs, which will help keep the club going. But anyone anticipating a raft of announcements, certainly in the next few days, will probably find themselves underwhelmed by what's to follow. The likelihood is that there won't be too many moves for a few days yet.

There is a rationale behind that, and it lends itself to a broader discussion point that will also come to a head next week. Let us explain. As we know, clubs voted against proposals to provide salary cap and quota dispensations earlier this week, and as a result, only around half of Super League's clubs are currently in a position to do business.

READ MORE: Peta Hiku hospitalised as Hull KR star suffers freak firework injury

READ MORE: RFL to review key disciplinary factor that would see Hull FC's Ligi Sao on verge of big ban

Given the ongoing uncertainty surrounding Salford, it's fair to assume that agents have already been testing the waters with clubs to gauge interest in their players and will have a pretty clear lay of the land. Any agent worth their salt will know exactly who is wanted where.

But that might cause a hold-up because some clubs interested in players aren't in a position to move because of the vote against dispensations. If we take Watkins as an example. The back-rower may well have interest from some of the clubs that are in a position to do deals right now. We know that Leeds Rhinos are interested; there could be other clubs that would be in the mix too.

There's no guarantee that there will be a U-turn on dispensations, but if you were advising Watkins or anyone else with interest from multiple clubs, you'd at least be sitting tight until next week to see if dispensations are granted. If they are, there are more options on the table and probably better salary offers too.

It sounds like there will be a meeting next Wednesday where discussions regarding dispensations will be brought to the table again. The RFL hinted that a change in stance could be made in their statement earlier this week when they said further proposals 'may be considered'. Ultimately, a review will likely be needed out of necessity rather than anything else given the size of the cutbacks Salford need to make. It's hard to see how the six clubs currently capable of doing business can clear £800,000.

There have been suggestions that some clubs only want to grant quota dispensations, not salary cap ones, should further flexibility be required. That appears counterproductive because when you look at which clubs that would help, it is the same clubs that are in a position to do deals now: Huddersfield Giants, Leigh Leopards, and Wakefield Trinity. Again, these clubs don't have infinite cap space. They can't clear Salford's decks between them.

It's fair that the clubs that have cap space and quota spots have been given the jump on those that don't, but at some point, Salford's future has to be considered, and given the size of the issue they face, it seems inevitable that dispensations will eventually be granted.

Some deals will get done soon; Ormondroyd's move to Castleford appears likely to be one of the first. But this fire sale may take some time to get going.

Click here - Get the latest news on our Rugby League Live WhatsApp channel