Leone Nakarawa is one step closer to re-signing for Glasgow Warriors, flowing reports from the French media that there has been verbal confirmation of a deal.
Nakarawa was a hugely revered player for Warriors for the three years he spent at Scotstoun between 2013 and 2016, and he was hugely significant in the Glasgow team’s Pro12 victory in 2015.
The Fijian has spent the past three season’s at Racing 92 but it was announced last week that the lock had been sacked from the French club after returning late to France following the World Cup in Japan. His late arrival was, it was reported, due to a house he was getting built, not being finished.
In a statement last week, the club said Nakarawa had showed "a total lack of team spirit and a characteristic insubordination" and and that he was setting a “deplorable example” to the players of Racing 92.
As soon as the news of Nakarawa sacking emerged, the rumor mill about him potentially making a return to Glasgow went into overload, with head coach Dave Rennie fuelling the speculation when he confirmed, prior to his team’s clash with La Rochelle at the weekend that he would be delighted to bring the Fijian back to the club.
However, Rennie acknowledged that Warriors would not be the only interested party, and signing Nakarawa, who was awarded European Player of the Year in 2018, would not come cheap.
Thins appear to have developed significantly over the weekend though, with a return now seemingly on the horizon.
The French newspaper Midi Olympique have claimed that Glasgow Warriors Managing Director Nathan Bombrys got in contact with the player while his team were in France for Saturday’s Heineken Champions Cup win in La Rochelle, and that he made an offer to Nakarawa.
The newspaper is also reporting that the Fijian has verbally accepted the offer, meaning his return to Scotstoun could be imminent.
If true, his signing could not come at a more important time for Warriors, as they are sitting only in fourth place in their Pro14 conference while they have a Champions Cup game against La Rochelle plus a double-header against Edinburgh coming up over the next few weeks.
The other clubs interested are reportedly Sale Sharks, Clermont Auvergne, Lyon and Bayonne.
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