Owen Farrell's potential move to Racing 92 is yet to be completed, but the French club's head coach Stuart Lancaster has finalized a deal with England's top goalscorer for next season. He admitted that he is very passionate about this.
Former England head coach Lancaster, now at the Paris club, made it clear after his team lost 29-25 to Bath that he personally wanted the former England captain to be invited back. He emphasized that financial discussions are ongoing.
Lancaster, who selected Farrell for his first England cap in 2012, said: “Obviously there have been discussions.” “He would be a great signing…who wouldn't want a player like Owen Farrell? Let's see how it plays out.”
But with Saracens reportedly demanding a transfer fee of £500,000 for Farrell in the final year of his contract, the Lancaster boss insists the details of the deal must also suit the French top 14 leader. He emphasized that it would not be possible. “I'm involved in the rugby side of the business, but racing has another side of the business,” Lancaster said. “You can make a wish list, but it doesn't always come true.”
If Farrell were to move to France, he would immediately become ineligible to represent England. He announced his decision to step back from international rugby to focus on his and his family's mental health and will not play in the Six Nations Championship, which begins in two weeks on Friday.
But Lancaster believes Farrell's influence will be invaluable as he seeks to develop Racing into more consistent winners. “During my tenure, we already had relationships with Beauden Barrett, Marcus Smith, Owen Farrell and probably a few others as well. I'm under contract for four years and what I'm going to do is is about building a team that wins this year and is very competitive for years to come.”
