by Owen Farrell is set to turn his back on English rugby with Saracens in advanced talks to sign for French club Racing 92, Telegraph Sport understands.
Farrell’s contract with Saracens, his boyhood club, runs out at the end of this season and, in a bombshell development, the club overseen by former England boss Stuart Lancaster have completed the signing of England’s most famous player on the outskirts of Paris. .
In October, Farrell was given the chance to remain Saracens’ marquee player ahead of Maro Itoje.
Midi Olympique and L’Equipe, the French rugby and sports newspapers respectively, reported on Friday that Farrell was in “advanced talks” with Racing 92 over a deal for the start of next season, reuniting with a Cup team-mate the World and star of England, Henry. Arundel. The outlets wrote that Farrell will sign a two- or three-year deal, while L’Equipe said a verbal agreement had been made between the two parties.
Later on Friday, Racing 92, who lost star winger Finn Russell to Bath at the end of last season, ruled out any deal between the two parties, but Telegraph Sport understands talks are ongoing. Lancaster gave Farrell an England debut in his first game as head coach in 2012 and enlisted his then 21-year-old father Andy as his defense coach.
“Racing 92 has been the subject of regular transfer speculation regarding movements within the squad,” the French club wrote in a statement. “We are very happy that our club has so much traction. However, we deny any agreement regarding the English player, Owen Farrell.
Farrell brought England rugby to a standstill when his club, Saracens, announced in November that their captain would be taking an indefinite break from international rugby, after leading England to third place at the World Cup in France last year and Defeat Jonny Wilkinson as. the country scores points.
During that tournament, Farrell became a lightning rod for vitriol, with some England fans booing the captain during the warm-ups. The 32-year-old cited mental health concerns for himself and his family as the reason for his international break.
Since returning to rugby’s world showpiece, Farrell has captained Saracens back-to-back, playing in seven games, losing one to the Bulls in the Champions Cup and away to Sale in the Premier League. On Saturday, he will lead his club in a crunch home game against Leicester at Welford Road.
By November 2024, the Rugby Union will have provided its England international team with up to 25 ‘hybrid’ (enhanced elite player squad) contracts. The specifics of hybrid contracts are not yet available to them – apart from Arundell, Itoje and Jamie George – but if Farrell crosses the Channel at the end of the season, with his international future uncertain, he is likely to reject the RFU deal.
On Thursday, Steve Borthwick said he was “hopeful” to see Farrell back in an England shirt in the future as the England head coach offered his views for the first time on his former captain’s decision to retire from international football, with no date set. for his return. If Farrell were to go to France, it would be expected that the two Smiths – Fin and Marcus – along with George Ford would compete for the England half-back jersey.
“It takes a lot of courage to do what he’s done,” Borthwick said on Thursday. “As we reflect, in England alone we have seen a player, a captain, two match officials, step away at the top of their game because of certain issues. There are societal issues here that are going on. Spreading hate online is not okay, it’s not right.
“For people to have to put up with that, to do that to their families to drive people out of the game is horrible. I don’t have the answers to it, but I know it’s wrong and they’re not real rugby fans saying this stuff.
“This is fast-paced, and changing, and I don’t think any of us expected what happened at the World Cup in that area, or that there would be that level of vitriol against certain people and certain teams. We have looked closely at the support we give to our players, the management team, the officials, the families of everyone involved in the team. There’s a big area where we want to make sure we’re maximizing all the support we can get.”
Racing 92 have been looking to recruit a midfielder since Russell left at the end of last season. Marcus Smith, Farrell’s one-time rival for the England No. 10, on Lancaster’s radar as a possible replacement but instead opted to stay at Harlequins. This season, Antoine Gibert, Tristan Tedder and Martin Méliande are Racing 92’s semi-final selections.
