Springbok lock Jean Kleyn, who is out of contract at the end of the season, is at the centre of a tug of war between Top 14 giants Toulouse and Bordeaux-Bègles.
Kleyn, 32, would become the only current Springbok to ply his trade in France if he were to join either of last season’s Top 14 finalists following a series of high-profile departures over the last 12 months.
Kleyn won five caps for Ireland before switching his international allegiances to his country of birth after being snubbed by Andy Farrell for three years.
He has made 156 appearances but RTE Sport report he is being lined up for a move across the Channel after failing to sign a contract extension to keep him in his adopted home beyond the end of the season.
Kleyn, who started his career with 19 games for the Stormers, stands at 6 ft 8 in and weighs in at 123 kg. He last played for the Springboks against the Barbarians in the summer and has helped Munster win five URC games this season.
He was part of the Munster side that won the United Rugby Championship back in 2023, the year that he helped them retain their World Cup crown, coming off the bench in the final victory over New Zealand.
Kleyn, who is married to a Galway girl, Aisling, and in 2023 had finished building a home near Munster’s training centre at the University of Limerick, told the Irish media how his move to Munster changed his life.
“My entire world has changed through my move to Munster. It’s an odd one, but it’s incredibly heartening to know the move at the start was worth what’s happening now, where I am now in my life.
“I have great friends, I’m part of a great club, a great community. It’s weird to think how much time has passed and how much has happened since I arrived here first.
“I don’t think I ever had what I have now in mind for myself, but everything I have now I wouldn’t trade for anything in the world,” he said.