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Fijian second-row Leone Nakarawa is leaving Glasgow in the summer for Racing 92
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The forward has scored four tries in 66 appearances for Glasgow and helped them to last season’s Guinness Pro12 title
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Nakarawa’s new club will announce his capture “in due course”
Glasgow Warriors have announced that Leone Nakarawa will leave the club at the end of the season to join Racing 92 despite having a year left to run on his current deal.
Warriors head coach Gregor Townsend said: “Leone has attracted a lot of interest from other clubs due to the form he’s been in over the last year.
“During the Rugby World Cup a lot of clubs were interested in signing him and although we were looking to retain him, we have now agreed to let Leone leave a year early.
“Right from when there was interest in him I’ve been fully involved with Scottish Rugby in the discussions with Leone and his agent, and the deal which was subsequently agreed has allowed us to strengthen our squad for next season.
“Leone has been a fantastic player for the club and has been a pleasure to coach. He has worked hard and developed into one of the best second-rows in the world during the past three years.”
Nakarawa added: “These types of opportunities only come around once and I couldn’t turn it down.
“I’ll miss all of the players, but I’ll still keep in touch with them as I get on with them all so well.
“This is a new challenge which I’m looking forward to, but that is next season and my focus just now is trying to retain the Guinness Pro12 trophy and end my time at the club on a high.
“Glasgow Warriors have helped me a lot with the coaches and backroom staff improving my game and making me stronger.
“I’d also like to thank the Glasgow supporters for making me feel so welcome.”
Renowned for his impressive offloading ability, Nakarawa — who featured at last year’s World Cup — has scored seven tries in 35 international appearances for Fiji.