Owen Farrell to join surprise club as Wigan Warriors transfer evaporates

Over the off season one rumour was persistent and that was that Wigan Warriors could finally sign Owen Farrell.

This has been one of the biggest what ifs in Super League history. The son of Wigan legend and two time Man of Steel Andy Farrell, it has often been speculated that the England Rugby Union star could make the move to Wigan especially when Morgan Smithies left the number 13 shirt vacant as he left for Canberra Raiders.

However, the move will definitely not be happening now with the 32-year-old set to join Racing 92 in France at the end of the current Premiership Rugby season and for the 2024/25 campaign.

This is according to the Midi Olympique who have broken the news about the leaders of the Top 14 (the top French Rugby Union league) signing Farrell. The club also signed St Helens star Regan Grace but he never played a game for them due to injury.

This move for Farrell means that Farrell will never play for England again due to the rules that say England players must play in the Premiership.

The Midi Olympique report read: “Racing 92 are on the verge of hitting hard in the transfer market. According to our sources, England fly-half Owen Farrell would indeed be very close to committing for the next two years with the Hauts-de-Seine entity, the current leader of the Top 14.

“With a profile like Farrell’s, the club of Jacky Lorenzetti and Laurent Travers proves, only a few months after signing the captain of the South African Siya Kolisi, that it remains attractive to say the least in the eyes of the big names of the international circuit.

“In support of Antoine Gibert, Tristan Tedder and Martin Meliande, and alongside Nolann Le Garrec at the back, Farrell (32 years old, 112 caps and 1,237 points scored with England) will bring a little more depth to a team whose last major title dates back to the spring of 2016.

“By grafting the talent of Owen Farrell to his squad, manager Stuart Lancaster is now taking advantage of the events, assumed or suffered, that have made the news of the Ile-de-France club over the past two seasons.

“In the Hauts-de-Seine, the departure to Bath of Finn Russell, one of the highest-paid players in the last Top 14, has already made a considerable place in the club’s wage bill, as has the unwanted one of Virimi Vakatawa in England (he now plays for Bristol).

“And that’s not all: in the 92nd, the probable career end of the French international Bernard Le Roux, victim of a series of concussions, combined with the possible departure of the Argentine international Juan Imhoff (35 years old) as well as the recruitment of several players in the process of development (the Clermont hooker Robin Couly, for example) have also allowed the Ile-de-France leaders to limit a salary cap set at €10.7million per Top 14 club.

“On the subject of the salary cap and these honourable constraints, it should be noted, finally, that Siya Kolisi’s remuneration would not exceed €400,000 per year.

“At a time when competition from the Japanese League One is becoming more insistent, Farrell’s imminent arrival in the Top 14 proves that it is still very far from having given up its title of ‘best league in the world’.”

Despite this Racing 92 have denied this saying: “Racing 92 is regularly under the aegis of a lot of speculation regarding movements within its squad. We are delighted with the appeal of our club Racing 92. However, we deny any agreement regarding the English player Owen Farrell.”

This doesn’t necessarily mean the move isn’t set to happen. It just means the club haven’t reached an agreement yet.