Wales rugby international Leigh Halfpenny looks set to join the Scarlets in a move which will see the Welsh Rugby Union partly fund the deal.
The 28-year old has preferred a move to the reigning Pro 12 Champions rather than his former region the Cardiff Blues, the club he left back in 2014 for Toulon, according to The Times.
Halfpenny will pen a three-year deal with Wayne Pivac’s side which is what the player had preferred instead of the Blues option of a 28-month contract which would have seen him leave the Arms Park after the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
The Welsh Rugby Union will pay 60% of Halfpenny’s new contract, whilst the Scarlets will foot the remaining 40% as they bring in Wales’ third highest points scorer.
Earlier this month, the Toulon president Mourad Boudjellal said that Halfpenny was unwanted at the French club, which has allowed him a possible return to Wales.
Speaking to the RMC Sport website, Boudjellal said that himself that the club did not want to offer Halfpenny a contract extension.
“I did not want to extend it, it is not for nothing. It the fault of the international system and internationals being absent too often.
“If he had stayed he would have returned in early August and missed the first three games because he could not have played for a month.”
The full-back could be seen as a direct replacement for the outgoing Liam Williams who has since signed for English Premiership side Saracens.
And with a number of clubs chasing Halfpenny’s signature, if the current Pro12 champions are to come out on top then it would only add to the Scarlets’ strong squad ahead of next season.
(Featured Image: Simone Ramella)