England and Northampton Saints forward Courtney Lawes is reportedly in ‘advanced’ talks with a French club.
ProD2 side Beziers, who are set to be taken over by billionaire Emirati investors, are ,according to Midi Olympique, in ‘advanced’ talks with the second-row.
The report claims that Beziers would buy him out of his Saints’ contract, which runs until 2021, at a cost of whopping €1.5 million (£1.37 million).
Lawes was raised just a stone’s throw from Franklin’s Gardens, and his world-class talent has made him indispensable to both Saints and England.
Lawes was a member of Saints Academy and made his first-team debut in 2007 against Esher in National League One, but after Saints were promoted back into to the Premiership Lawes continued to impress.
He came on as a replacement to help the Saints win the Challenge Cup final against Bourgoin in 2009, before being involved in Saints’ LV=Cup victory in 2010.
Lawes continued to pick up silverware in a Northampton jersey, with the 2011 Challenge Cup win and 2014 Premiership and Cup double both achieved in the coming seasons.
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Having represented England at Under-20s level during the 2009 IRB Junior World Championship, Lawes was selected in the Saxons squad before senior England honours came later that same year in the Autumn International against Australia at Twickenham.
Since then, he has gone on to represent England at two Rugby World Cups, won three Six Nations titles – including a first Grand Slam in 13 years in 2016 – and help the Red Rose to an historic 3-0 Test series triumph over the Wallabies in the summer of 2016.
Lawes impressed so much with Saints and England that he was named on the 2017 British & Irish Lions tour of New Zealand, winning six caps on the trip and remaining undefeated in the two Tests he played against the All Blacks.
LIST | 5 famous rugby players and their luxury homes
Despite not earning as much as footballers, we think you’ll agree that these homes of rugby players are still pretty spectacular.
Here are five of our favourites:
1. Tendai ‘Beast’ Mtawarira’s beautiful home on the Dolphin Coast1.
Tendai and Kuziva Mtawarira’s Dolphin Coast, family escape is near enough to Durban for work and just far enough to feel like every day’s a holiday.
