Bristol are reportedly trying to prise Alun Wyn Jones away from Welsh rugby and into the Gallagher Premiership.
The talismanic Ospreys lock has been a one-club man over his 14-year senior career but is out of contract after the World Cup and attracting significant interest.
Talks are continuing with the Liberty Stadium region, who are hopeful of retaining a player who exerts a huge influence on and off the field.
But The Rugby Paper suggests Bristol are keen to make a big-name signing, and Jones, Wales’ Grand Slam captain and the 2019 Six Nations player of the tournament, would certainly fit the bill. The paper say the English club have enquired about the Swansea-born player.
Owned by billionaire Steve Lansdown, the Ashton Gate club have considerable financial muscle, underlined last year when they recruited Charles Piutau from Ulster on a salary of around £1m a year.
Other English clubs have also been linked with Jones, including Leicester.
And there have been further suggestions he might want to end his career with a big payday in France.
However, Jones has given no indication of such a desire and one former Wales international, who declined to be named, has argued the 33-year-old would do well to treat with caution any approaches from outside the regions.
“Neither the English nor the French league would be a great place for Alun Wyn if he wants to continue his international career,” said the ex-player.
“They are both unforgiving set-ups and if he went to either he would be expected to play a lot of rugby.
“Neither would do much to prolong his career.”
The difficulty has been in trying to stitch together a deal to properly reward Jones’s worth while taking into account a customised element that would see him looked after along the lines of the regime he operated to at the Ospreys in the season just finished.
He played only 10 games for them in 2018-19 but in every one he was to the fore, while his effect on the squad remains incalculable off the pitch.
The Welsh region are privately optimistic they can beat off any challenge for his services and keep a player who has made 238 appearances for them since his debut in 2005.
His attachment to his home region and his desire to continue playing Test rugby, maybe all the way through to Lions tour of South Africa in 2021, might prove major obstacles to a move over the Severn Bridge, with any club who spend big sure to expect a major commitment, in terms of matches played, for their outlay.
