1. Louis Picamoles (Montpellier) – £1.2m
The France number 8 left Northampton to join Montpellier after just one season at Franklin’s Gardens for a record transfer fee worth at least £1.3m, the Guardian reported in 2017. The 31-year-old was under increasing pressure to return to the Top 14 with the French federation (FFR) seeking to tie its leading internationals down to central contracts.
