SARACENS are weighing up a move for England winger Jonny May who is coming into the last six months of his Leicester Tigers deal.
The Tigers, as Blindside has reported in recent weeks, have agreed new lucrative deals with fly-half George Ford and Ellis Genge.
They are set to splash out around £1m a season on the pair who had been attracting the interest of Bristol Bears – but the futures of May and Ben Youngs are far from certain.
Youngs has been attracting some interest from France but isn’t keen to yet call time on his England career which would immediately end if he pens a deal with a Top 14 side.
May, 29, spent eight seasons with Gloucester before moving to the Tigers in 2017 and has been linked with a return to the Cherry and Whites next season.
But we believe that Saracens are looking at May as a potential replacement for Liam Williams, below, who is rejoining the Scarlets on a £400,000 a year deal in the summer.
Williams is unlikely to be the only departure from the club with Joel Kpoku set for Northampton Saints and Michel Rhodes also out of contract.
Veteran stars Richard Wigglesworth and Brad Barritt are likely to retire to move into coaching and run their coffee empires respectively.
That is likely to give Sarries more than enough room in the salary cap to avoid any kind of social media meltdown if they do press ahead with plans to sign May.
Laidlaw set to stay in France
GREIG LAIDLAW called time on his Scotland career last week but it would appear the scrum-half wants to stay in France next season.
Blindside had been told that Laidlaw fancied a move to Newcastle Falcons if they win promotion back to the Premiership.
But that is unlikely as he could prove to be too expensive. Now the 34-year-old is eyeing up an extension at Clermont Auvergne instead.
It could all depend on what happens to French international Morgan Parra who wants to leave but is under contract until 2022.