PREM clubs on alert as Top 14 consider salary cap rule change

French clubs could be set to gain another major advantage in the transfer market, with the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR) set to vote early next year on plans to allow Top 14 clubs to exclude one player from their salary cap.

The base salary cap in the Top 14 has risen from €10.7 million (£8.92m) to €11.1 million (£9.2m), with limits on international player allowances and ongoing talks about having a player outside the cap potentially as early as next season.

It remains well above the £6.4 million per squad allowed in the Gallagher PREM, which can stretch to £7.8m with credits for academy/home-grown players and long-term injury replacements.

While PREM clubs now have to spend a baseline £5.4 million on talent, they are allowed one marquee player whose full salary does not count towards the cap. Talks about allowing a second marquee player have stalled, as seven of the ten clubs need to agree.

Bath co-owner Bruce Craig is keen to take on the French and told The Daily Telegraph earlier this year, “The French have had a nice run, but it is time for us now to put our system into place, which they can start worrying about.

“I do think marquee players are a way of getting closer to them. Take Jalibert. He is probably being paid €500-600,000 [£422-507,000]. As a marquee player, we could pay him £1m and bring him to England.”

The LNR will vote on the proposals on February 10, but wrangling and horse-trading among clubs continues, with Toulouse and Montpellier wanting up to three players exempt, while Clermont and Bayonne are said to be opposed to the idea.

Another stumbling block that needs to be overcome before the crucial vote is the proposed €500,000 (£418,000) limit on the marquee player, which is much less than some clubs spend across the English Channel.