Double Leinster centurion Luke McGrath holds talks with Top 14 club

Perpignan have spoken to Leinster’s former Ireland scrum-half Luke McGrath as they step up their search to find alternatives to back-to-back World Cup winner Faf de Klerk.

The Catalan outfit have had video calls with De Klerk, who has also been linked with a return to Sale Sharks about a move to the club when his contract with Japan Rugby League One outfit the Canon Eagles runs out later this year.

And even though Blood and Gold bosses have set aside a healthy budget to sign an international standard player, they fear that they might not be able to meet the veteran Springbok stars’ wage demands.

Perpignan Président François Rivière speaking on the ‘100% USAP’ show on France Bleu, said, “He’s (De Klerk) not cheap. I think he’s the frontrunner.

“But I believe that between now and tomorrow, Laurent Labit will meet with other players for that position.”

It would seem that one of the players on their radar is McGrath, who was born in Canada but grew up in Ireland.

McGrath, who celebrated his 33rd birthday earlier this week, made his Leinster senior debut in May 2012 against the Newport Gwent Dragons and has played over 220 games for the province.

Jamison Gibson-Park’s understudy won the last of his 20 Ireland caps in the 2019 World Cup quarter-final defeat to the All Blacks and has started five of 11 games this season.

After signing on for this season, he admitted that he wanted to stay in Dublin for as long as possible: “I want to be here for as long as I can, so it was great to get that deal over the line.

“As the years go by, I don’t really know what’s going to happen in the future. But this time around, all I wanted to do was sign up to be in Leinster for next year, and thankfully, I was able to get that sorted.

“It’s such a special club to be at. I have been here a long, long time and made a lot of great friends. There are great people in this club,” he told the Leinster website.

But with Fintan Gunne, who scored two tries in the win over Connacht last month, looking ready for more game time than the odd cameo, Perpignan could really give McGrath food for thought about ending his career in France.