Dan Kelly at centre of Leicester Tigers exit rumours again

Sale Sharks have been discussing a potential return to his native north-west for Leicester Tigers and England inside centre Dan Kelly five years after letting him leave the club.

Manchester-born Kelly, 23, who was educated at Kirkham Grammar School, was part of the Sharks academy set-up between 2017 and 2019 but left for Loughborough University after not being offered professional terms.

The former Ireland under-20 international spent a season with Loughborough Students before joining the Tigers in April 2020 and was capped by England against Canada in July 2021.

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Kelly, who has Irish-born grandparents, earned a recall to the England squad for the 2023 Six Nations after helping Leicester win a Gallagher Premiership crown in 2022 but hasn’t won any more caps.

He can also operate as an outside centre and dabbled in rugby league with Wigan Warriors as a youngster, and has made five appearances for the Tigers this season, scoring one try against Gloucester.

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It is not the first time that Kelly, who signed a new contract with the Tigers, where he has now played 87 games, has been linked with a move away from Welford Road. Last season, he was linked with a move to Munster and IRFU.

Kelly likened his career to a real game of rugby, telling the Telegraph, “You get on the wrong side of the whistle, you get knocked back, you go back 10, one door closes, but then another opens.

“It has been about being resilient, always bouncing back. That’s one thing I’ve always wanted to do, to not go into my shell or step back when things aren’t going my way.

“It’s always about effort, and if that’s there, then things start coming off for you,” he said, while returning to the Sharks isn’t by any means cut and dried.

RugbyPass understand that Sharks boss Alex Sanderson is also looking at the tried and trusted South African market to see who is available immediately and in the summer.