Owen Farrell’s French adventure looks set to end in disappointment, with the England legend poised to make a swift return to Saracens — just one year after his high-profile move to Racing 92.
Reports in France suggest a deal is all but done, with Racing agreeing to release the 33-year-old fly-half from the final year of his contract. While the Parisian giants were initially demanding around £500,000, it’s believed a fee closer to £350,000 has been settled.
It was also confirmed today that Farrell will be part of the 2025 British & Irish Lions television coverage for Sky Sports.
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Farrell, who arrived in the Top 14 last summer to huge fanfare, has struggled to leave his mark in France. Despite a CV stacked with over 100 caps for England and more than 1,000 international points, his stint in Paris never quite caught fire. On-field chemistry with scrum-half Nolann Le Garrec was lacking, and the physical intensity of French rugby often left him chasing shadows.
The veteran playmaker recently requested a release from his contract and Racing appear ready to cut their losses. He’s expected to return to North London, where he will link back up with his beloved Saracens — this time in a dual role as player and coach.
For Racing, the search is now on for a top-tier fly-half to fill the void. With Antoine Gibert the only remaining specialist No.10, and both Dan Lancaster (Glasgow) and Tristan Tedder (Perpignan) already out the door, the club is actively hunting for reinforcements.
Farrell’s time in Paris may be remembered as a big-name move that never quite lived up to the billing — but for Saracens fans, the king is coming home.
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Owen Farrell never made up with England teammate, he ‘hates him with a passion’
England fly-half Owen Farrell is never afraid of sharing an opinion or two – especially when it’s about someone he doesn’t particularly like.
#1. Dave Attwood
The Bath lock won the last of his 24 caps for England back in 2016, which could have a lot to do with his relationship with the current England captain.
“He had a bit of a shout at me and went off to the toilet and I followed him.
“We all had a drink or two after the game but we didn’t need to get carried away with this. I was in the urinal behind the door and he was three or four down and as I got in his dad walked in as well, he was coaching at the time. He was, ‘I don’t want to fuckin’ hear it’ or something like that and as he walked out he went to open the door and slam it into the back of me. There was like a stop on the floor so it hit the stop and almost clocked him back…
“We never really addressed it after that. That was where it started and it was like a drunken little bit of argy that went too far. He is an incredibly competitive athlete and he is also very f**kin’ good, he has got high standards. He is a very competitive athlete and in order to be that good, you have to flirt on the wrong side of competitive.
“So whenever we play each other there is always some element in the game where one of us is running at the other one or we are trying to bang each other. There always seems to be an element of that to it. I am sure he is like, I don’t even know that Dave is playing.”
