Superstar fly-half Danny Cipriani could be set to depart Gloucester one year early as the Cherry & Whites look to freshen up their playing squad under George Skivington.
The 33-year-old mercurial playmaker, who is contracted until 2022, has been in and out of the side since boss Johan Ackermann left the club in July due to a mix of personal issue and injury.
Cipriani, who reportedly turned down a move to Japan during lockdown, could now make that move in 2021 a year early with a number of clubs all over the world interested.
Gloucester have been linked with moved for two number 10’s by The Rugby Paper today with South African-born Scotland international Jaco van der Walt and Wales playmaker Jarrod Evans mooted as possible replacements for Cipriani.
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Edinburgh goalkicker van der Walt made his international debut last month, while Evans has only.won six caps despite stellar form with Cardiff Blues.
Skivington has also been linked with a move for Leicester Tigers youngster Tom Hardwick.
11 things you didn’t know about Danny Cipriani
1. Sporting talent
A keen all-round sportsman, Cipriani played junior football for Queens Park Rangers and was offered youth terms by Reading. He also played schoolboy cricket for Berkshire and Oxfordshire. Cipriani was invited to join Surrey County Cricket Club as a batsman. He also played squash at county level
2. First rugby club
He first played club rugby at Rosslyn Park in Roehampton, where he developed his passion for the game.
3. Heritage
The fly-half is mixed-race; his father is Afro-Trinidadian with some Italian heritage while his mother is English. Cipriani’s father, Jay, and his mother, Anne, separated soon after his birth. Although Jay returned to Trinidad, Cipriani was able to remain in contact with him.