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Owen Farrell will return to Saracens early as Racing 92 exit agreed
By Neil Fissler
Saracens have reached an agreement with Racing 92 for club legend Owen Farrell to rip up the final year of his contract, allowing him to return to North London this summer.
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RugbyPass understands that a deal was struck between the two clubs on Thursday, following last-ditch talks to agree on a transfer fee after the former England skipper made it clear he wanted to leave.
Farrell, 33, signed a two-year deal after Racing paid £500,000 to buy him out of his Saracens contract and were keen to recoup as much of it as possible, which led to considerable back-and-forth between the clubs.
They were holding out for €250,000 (£211,500), while Saracens were only willing to pay €200,000 (£177,000), and it is understood that a compromise has now been agreed to allow the deal to go ahead.
Farrell’s move to La Défense Arena hasn’t been a success, with injuries restricting him to just 17 appearances, but he has remained in demand from Premiership clubs.
Leicester Tigers made a couple of attempts to lure him to Welford Road, while other clubs also made enquiries, but Farrell was only ever going to return to one club if he came back to the Premiership.
Farrell, who won 112 England caps and played in three World Cups, helped Saracens win six Premiership titles and three European Cups during his 16-season first spell with the Men in Black.
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Twice voted European Player of the Season, Farrell will have to agree personal terms with Saracens, but that is unlikely to be a problem—despite Saracens boss Mark McCall warning he will have to fit into their wage structure.
Farrell is reported in the French media to be earning £685,000 a year in the French capital and will need to accept a substantial cut to return to Saracens.
Meanwhile, Farrell will join the Sky Sports punditry team for the Lions clash against Argentina in Dublin next week, when his dad, Andy, makes his bow leading the tourist side.
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let us hope for him that english air will be easier to breathe than parisian one. He never could adapt and never showed what he might be able to. And I honestly think he no longer can.
I wonder where that will leave Fergus Burke?
I’m not convinced it changes much. Burke can play 15, and Farrell can play 12. My understanding is also that Farrell is coming back as a player-coach, so Saracens’ enthusiasm for signing him might not indicate that they see him as an unambiguous first team player.