As suggested by Neil Fissler in The Rugby Paper on Sunday, Danny Cipriani will return to Wasps next season.
The Sale Sharks fly-half, who decided to evoke a clause allowing him to get out of the last year of his contract, is believed to have agreed a two-year deal worth around £300,000 a season.
The 28-year-old spent the last four seasons at the AJ Bell but he will now return to the club where it all started back in 2006.
He said: “I’m excited about returning to Wasps next season. For me, it really does feel like coming home. In the professional era, players naturally move clubs more frequently than they used to, but I still feel such a strong connection with Wasps. It’s where I learned my trade, alongside incredible players like Lawrence Dallaglio, Joe Worsley, Alex King, Fraser Waters, Josh Lewsey and Paul Sackey.
“I have such good memories of that period in my life, I feel much more equipped to handle and deal with the expectation that comes when you put on the black and gold jersey. There’s something about Wasps which always draws you in. ‘Once a Wasp, always a Wasp’ is more than just a saying when you’ve been part of the club.
“I feel next season will be the right time for a new challenge, at a club which in my heart will always feel like a second home, where I know I will settle quickly.”
“It’s brilliant to see how the club has re-built over the past couple of seasons. The potential of the squad that Dai [Young] has developed is really exciting and I have been impressed by the ambition Wasps has shown since Derek Richardson took over and stabilised things.
“I’m really looking forward to playing alongside guys I started my career with, like James Haskell, Joe Simpson, Christian Wade and Elliot Daly, in a squad that loves to play attacking, expansive rugby.”
Wasps’ Director of Rugby Dai Young added: “We have always been keen for Danny to return to Wasps and I’m really pleased that our Wasps’ fans, many of whom supported Danny as a young lad here, will be able to see him in a Wasps’ shirt again.
“Everyone knows how talented a player Danny is and how much his game has developed since he made such an impact for England at a young age. As well as his obvious attacking attributes, Danny has matured as a player and controls the game well as a 10.
“At 28, there is still plenty more to come from him, so we are looking forward to seeing the contribution he will make in a Wasps’ shirt, alongside our other talented fly halves, in the exciting backline we have.”
