Reigning Premiership champions Saracens are making negative noises about the Premiership salary cap, as they lose senior players.
The club have had to let a number of senior stars depart the club due to lack of budget, including Jackson Wray and Duncan Taylor.
Number 8 Billy Vunipola may also have to leave the club with no new contract announced for the England stars.
Sarries boss Mark McCall said: “This is not the team that won the double in 2019, far from it. Everyone knows we are a squad in transition.
“We sat down in August as a group and talked about playing differently, more bravely, and that included fitness and mental toughness and not going into our shell.
“Younger players would benefit from the wisdom of Jackson and Duncan for another year. But it’s gone and that’s a real shame, because they would have continued playing.”
Speaking to the I, Wray added: “The elephant in the room is the salary cap being the lowest in my time – that is a challenge against the big boys of all the French clubs, and Leinster.
“Some of them have almost three times as big a budget.”
Saracens have insane three-man transfer wish-list
As the anticipation builds, fans and pundits alike eagerly await the unveiling of these potential new signings, as Saracens continue to shape their squad for the challenges that lie ahead.
#1. Anthony Watson
Saracens are edging closer to finalizing a deal to bring Watson to StoneX Stadium for the upcoming season, as reported by the Evening Standard.
They currently hold a strong position in the competition to secure the services of the England wing after the World Cup in France, according to sources at Standard Sport.
Although Watson’s current club, Leicester, has made efforts to retain the 29-year-old player in the East Midlands beyond the summer, the likelihood of the Tigers keeping the highly experienced speedster is slim.
Another potential suitor for Watson is French Top 14 team Castres, but a move across the English Channel would likely diminish his opportunities to represent England after the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
Watson has openly expressed his desire to be closer to his family in Surrey, and this factor could sway the balance in favor of Saracens.
Watson was born in Surrey and was a member of the London Irish academy before making his professional debut for The Exiles in 2011 and representing England at Under-20 level during the next two seasons.
He moved to Bath in 2013 and made more than 100 appearances for the club in the Premiership and European competitions.
Watson made his Test debut for England in 2014 against New Zealand at Twickenham and has made more than 50 international appearances, including at the 2015 and 2019 Rugby World Cups, as well as having featured in successive British & Irish Lions tours in against the All Blacks in 2017 and Springboks in 2021.