TOP 14 SIDE Montpellier have reportedly offered CJ Stander €840,000 a year to swap Munster for life in France.
The news was first reported by Simon Lewis of the Irish Examiner this morning.
Ireland back row Stander’s IRFU contract expires at the end of the season, and he has been on the club’s radar for quite some time.
Negotiations on a contract extension are ongoing between Stander and the IRFU though and the Union remain confident they will be in a position to announce a new deal this week.
The Examiner are reporting that well-placed sources indicate the 27-year-old South African-born player will be offered a basic salary in the region of €400,000 per year, plus incentives, by the Union.
Standing at over double that amount, the astonishing €840,000-a-year — €70,000 per month — offer from Montpellier will surely complicate matters despite Stander’s wishes to stay in Ireland to further his international career.
On Friday, fellow Munster man Peter O’Mahony ended speculation over his future by agreeing a new three-year central contract with the IRFU ahead of the 2019 World Cup.
The42 has just published its first book, Behind The Lines, a collection of some of the year’s best sports stories. Pick up your copy in Eason’s, or order it here today (€10):