Pro14 stragglers the southern Kings are allegedly in the hunt for the signature of struggling Toulon wing Julian Savea.
The unexpected transfer proposal, which was reported by Afrikaans outlet Rapport, comes in the wake of intense public criticism from club owner Mourad Boudjellal and Toulon fans, after the ex-All Black failed to live up to their expectations.
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Savea has had quite the tumultous time in the south of France, with Mourad Boudjellal saying he would “ask for a DNA test” after a string of poor performances from the All Blacks’ second highest try scorer.
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“They must have swapped him on the plane [when he joined from the Hurricanes last year. If I were him I would apologise and go back to my home country,” Boudjellal said.“I’ve told him that he was free to go and wasn’t welcome at Toulon any more.”
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Joining Savea on the Kings’ wish list is former Springboks forward Jacques Potgieter, who played for the Eastern Province side in the Currie Cup between 2009 and 2011. Potgieter has also been struggling for gametime since his arrival
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Negotiations have been underway between clubs since the Kings and Toulon announced their partnership earlier this week. It is expected that there would be a massive turnover of players once the partnership goes ahead. It is estimated that Kings would have to release around 20 contracted players to make room for Savea and Potgieter financially, with Savea alone earning nearly €1m annually.
Signing either player would be a significant statement of intent from the Kings, who have won just three of their 40 games since joining the Pro14.
