NORTHAMPTON Saints have set aside a ‘healthy budget' as they search fora new fly-half that places question marks over the future of Dan Biggar at the club.
The Rugby Paper recently reported that Top 14 and Champions Cup double winners Toulouse had put Wales ace Bigger and his fellow Lions star Courtney Lawes on their shopping list.
Chris Boyd, the boss of the underachieving Saints, branded that ‘gutter journalism' even though we clearly stated that a deal could be hard for Toulouse to pull off.
But the fact that Saints recruitment chief Paul Shields has asked for a ‘quality player' suggests that Toulouse maintain an interest in Biggar despite Boyd's attempts to deflect attention.
Saints know that they could struggle to find the kind of quality player they are looking for but acknowledge that ‘circumstances are always evolving'.
A handful of clubs are also looking for a fly-half to join them next season, so there is plenty of competition despite Saints' ‘healthy budget'.
Saints have already added Karl Wilkins, Juarno Augustus and Brandon Nansen to their squad that finished fifth in the Premiership, a massive 14 points behind champions Harlequins.
Saints have only one other recognised fly-half in their senior squad, James Grayson, right, the son of World Cup winner Paul, athough England centre Piers Francis can be used as a stand-in.
So it is an area of the squad that needs bulking up even if Biggar does stay.
