Taulupe Faletau is on the verge of leaving Welsh rugby with a host of French clubs interested in acquiring his services.
The 34-year-old has had a rough few years due to injury but is back playing for Wales and was excellent in the 27-18 defeat to Ireland a couple of weeks ago. On his day Faletau, who has won 106 caps for Wales along with four for the British & Irish Lions, is among the best back rowers on the planet.
But at 34 he is nearing the end of his career and after a series of injuries, now would be the ideal time to take up a lucrative offer from overseas. Faletau has only made 18 appearances since joining Cardiff from Bath in 2022 and is out of contract at the end of the season.
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Given all four of Wales' professional clubs will be operating from a salary cap of just £5.2m, with a couple of marquee players permitted above the cap, next season they will have to continue tightening their belts. Faletau is currently the highest paid player in Welsh rugby - a legacy of the National Squad 38 where the Welsh Rugby Union paid 80% of the salary - and will have to take a sizeable pay cut if he is to stay at Cardiff.
As a result there are a host of French and Japanese clubs interested in his signature. One of those is French PRO D2 outfit Stade Nicois.
Looking in from the outside Stade Nicois are a club in freefall given they have lost 19 of their 22 games this season and are 23 points adrift at the foot of the PRO D2 table. Barring a miracle they will be playing in the third tier of French rugby next season but they are bankrolled by some very wealthy businessmen who are on an aggressive recruitment drive.
They have already signed Fijian centre Waisea Nayacalevu who is at the Ospreys until the end of the season, while former Wales playmaker Owen Williams is also set for a move to Nice. Stade Nicois are also expected to sign former Scarlets backrower Uzair Cassiem but WalesOnline understands their chairman Jean-Baptiste Aldigé is also very keen on signing Faletau.
If Faletau were to leave Wales he would still be eligible to represent the national side but it goes without saying playing in the Championnat Fédérale Nationale would be far from ideal. But his future has by no means been decided yet.
Cardiff would be disappointed to lose Faletau but they are set to sign Wales backrower Taine Basham from the Dragons for next season.
