Leicester to pay record rugby transfer fee for England fly-half George Ford
GETTY George Ford will leave Bath and rejoin Leicester at the end of the season
The two clubs confirmed yesterday that Ford would be returning to the Midlands with fellow fly-half Freddie Burns going in the opposite direction. The move sees both players returning to clubs they have played for before with Ford only have left the Tigers four years ago. And The Times claim that Leicester have shelled out half a million pounds to secure his services, a record transfer fee for a player moving between English clubs.
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Ford’s future at Bath has been the subject of speculation ever since his father Mike was sacked from his job as head coach last summer. The England fly-half still had two years remaining on his contract but Bath are understood to have known since the beginning of the season that the 23-year-old wanted to leave.
And now that the move has been completed, it’s the latest in a long line of playmaker moves across Europe as the fly-half roundabout continues to spin. Harlequins signed Demetri Catrakilis from Montpellier in October before the French club beat Bath to the signature of All Black Aaron Cruden as a replacement.
GETTY George Ford has been integral in Eddie Jones' rejuvenation of the England team
GETTY George Ford decided to leave after his father Mike was sacked by Bath last summer
Leicester then shipped Owen Williams out to Gloucester in anticipation of signing Ford while the Welshman replaced James Hook, who returned to his home country to play for Ospreys. The club who have failed to make inroads into the No 10 market are Northampton.