Northern | US

Louis Bielle-Biarrey mega-deal could see multiple players axed

Louis Bielle-Biarrey of France (left) and Theo Attissogbe of France (right) celebrate after winning the Six Nations international rugby union match between France and England at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, on [Month Day, Year]. (Photo by Ibrahim Ezzat/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Comments
15 Comments

With the season fast approaching its end, Top 14 and Pro D2 clubs are already making moves to clinch eye-catching signings, while others are looking to re-sign their star players; as is the case with Union Bordeaux Bègles and Louis Bielle-Biarrey.

ADVERTISEMENT

The 2026 Six Nations Player of the Year has just one year remaining on his contract at the Investec Champions Cup holders and is the top priority for the southern French club. From June, rival clubs will be free to hold official talks with Bielle-Biarrey and, although sides such as Section Paloise and Stade Français appear to be out of the picture, RC Toulon could yet try to lure the winger with a lucrative proposal.

Nonetheless, RugbyPass understands that Bielle-Biarrey extending his contract with the Girondins remains the most likely scenario, with the player feeling settled in Bordeaux and the club ready to table an attractive offer to one of their standout performers.

VIDEO

However, that would require Bordeaux to offload some high earners before the end of the 2026/27 season to ensure they remain within the Top 14 salary cap. The club is currently operating at 98 per cent of the limit and, with Maxime Lucu and potentially Bielle-Biarrey also due new contracts, there is growing urgency to avoid breaching LNR regulations.

At present, Bielle-Biarrey is understood to earn around €350,000 per year (gross), while Damian Penaud (€600k) and Matthieu Jalibert (€850k) are Bordeaux’s highest-paid players.

The 22-year-old winger began his rugby journey with RC Seyssins before joining FC Grenoble in 2016, featuring for their youth sides until 2021, when he made the switch to Bordeaux.

Having arrived at the club at the age of 18, the speedster quickly broke into the senior side, making his debut in January 2022 against Brive. He followed that up by scoring a hat-trick against the Scarlets in the Champions Cup, making an immediate impact.

ADVERTISEMENT

After two prolific years with France U20s, he was called up by Fabien Galthié and made his Test debut against Scotland in a warm-up match before the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Although France fell to a 25-21 defeat, Bielle-Biarrey marked the occasion with his first international try, the beginning of what has since become a prolific Test career.

Widely regarded as one of the top backline players in the world, the Girondins are now pushing hard to get the deal over the line, with an agreement possible in the coming weeks.

Related

ADVERTISEMENT
Play Video
LIVE

{{item.title}}

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

15 Comments
J
JD 31 days ago

Speculation on his asking price? He’s got to be wanting a million surely?

J
John Breslin 31 days ago

350 thousands yo-yo's for LBB?


Street level drug dealers make more in a month. Scandal

K
Kia koe 31 days ago

Would love to see him play in super rugby. Just curious

I
Icefarrow 31 days ago

Said no Kiwi or French ever.

D
David 31 days ago

Agree with the many comments re Penaud, much I have really enjoyed watching him over the years. Galthie is no mug and if he has seen fit to believe he has better options going forward for France then that will certainly have made UBB take note when it comes to budget balancing. What is absolutely certain is the club cannot afford to let him go (assuming he might fancy it, which I doubt). The fans would riot if he’s not re-signed.

T
TheNotoriousFig 31 days ago

Nice problem to have. Carbery and Gray are already moved on/moving on, Penaud is the obvious big earner to shift as I don’t think they need him and then Buros at fullback might be surplus now Ayasi is playing there. Not sure if there is another outhalf coming in to replace Joey but I think they will be just fine signing him again.

S
SB 31 days ago

Every club should table their best possible offer to him.

H
Hammer Head 31 days ago

No doubt he’s worth it, but it’s a lot of money for one player, on the wing.

T
Tah Man Too 31 days ago

Penaud will be sweating.

J
John Breslin 31 days ago

He should well be

S
Steve P 31 days ago

Worth every cent.

H
Hammer Head 31 days ago

I’d rather have a few really good, low paid loose forwards before dropping another bomb on a winger.

Load More Comments

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Long Reads

Comments on RugbyPass

Close Panel
Close Panel

Edition & Time Zone

{{current.name}}
Set time zone automatically
{{selectedTimezoneTitle}} (auto)
Choose a different time zone
Close Panel

Editions

Close Panel

Change Time Zone

Close
ADVERTISEMENT
Copied to clipboard

Share Article close