Farrell move to Racing 92 held up as Saracens yet to receive fee

A fee, understood to be less than £500,000, is thought to have been agreed

Owen Farrell’s move to Racing 92 is being held up as Saracens have not yet received a transfer fee for the former England captain.
After over a fortnight of speculation, Racing seemed to confirm on Monday evening they had landed Farrell on a two-season deal. However, by Tuesday afternoon, almost 24 hours after that two-sentence press communication, there had been no acknowledgement from Saracens, Premiership Rugby or England.
Well-placed sources have indicated Saracens were surprised and frustrated by Racing’s announcement. Often, clubs will co-operate and coordinate the announcement of high-profile moves.
A conspicuous silence jars with the tone one would expect to mark Farrell’s impending farewell and is understood to be down to a delay in payment from Racing. A fee, understood to be less than £500,000, is thought to have been agreed, but Saracens have not received it. As such, documents cannot be finalised, though the move is regarded as a formality.
Transfer fees remain relatively rare in rugby union given that players usually move between teams when contracts expire. There are plenty of incidents, though, of sides paying to secure the services of a player more quickly.
The most expensive of these fees is believed to have greased Cheslin Kolbe’s move between Toulouse and Toulon in 2021, when the former reportedly paid out €1.8 million for the Springboks star. A controversial episode continued with both clubs receiving fines, €50,000 for Toulouse and €70,000 for Toulon, over salary-cap irregularities. Closer to home, Leicester Tigers parted with £500,000 to bring George Ford back to the East Midlands from Bath.
Saracens are thought to have agreed a considerably smaller fee to let Farrell embark on a new challenge in the Top 14, but that amount would clearly allow them greater scope to revamp their squad. As well as Farrell, Billy and Mako Vunipola are set to be among a significant group departing StoneX Stadium. In the days prior to a 39-24 victory over Lyon that sent them into the knockout rounds of the Champions Cup, Mark McCall conceded that a summer of transition awaits.
“Every player has a cycle, every team has a cycle,” he said. “This is the cycle of a great team. It has been truly magnificent, but players are coming towards the end of their careers and they’re just part of that cycle. Everybody realises the adventure we’ve been on is coming to an end, and there’s a new adventure about to start with a group of younger players we’re incredibly excited about who have signed up for the longer term.”