Spies heading to France?

Springbok No 8 and Bulls captain Pierre Spies may further his career up north after French club Bayonne reportedly have made a massive offer for his services over the next three years.

Spies has been negotiating with the Bulls to extend his contract but has been unsuccessful thus far, and with time running out – his contract expires next week – there is some concern that he may be lured by the big offer.

Bayonne have been searching for a top-class No 8 and have made unsuccessful approaches to Bok Jacques Potgieter and All Black Liam Messam, and were keen on Springbok flanker Juan Smith to take the spot on return from injury, but according to French sources the club has been put off by Smith’s injury problems over the years.

Spies’ unsuccessful negotiations with the Bulls have made him a prime candidate, and it is supersport.com’s information that he has been offered close to R15-million over three years, with a nett salary of 40 000 euros per month should he make the move.

But the Bulls have not given up on him yet, and confirmed to supersport.com that they were continuing to negotiate an extension of his current contract with a teleconference set for Thursday to thrash out the final details.

How this plays out against the offer from Bayonne, which has been confirmed by two French sources, but denied by Spies’s agent Gerrie Swart, is anyone’s guess.

“We know nothing of such an offer and we are continuing to negotiate with the Bulls for an extension of Pierre’s contract,” Swart told supersport.com.

There is no doubt Spies, who grew up and has had his entire career in Pretoria, would want to stay at the Bulls, depending on the details of the contract.

With Springbok Jean de Villiers also doubtful for the Springbok end-of-year tour, Spies’s name has been mentioned as a long-term captaincy candidate, although his form before getting injured appeared to have counted against him.

And with just 13 days left on his contract a decision needs to be made soon.

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