Bristol Bears are reported to be in advanced talks to sign Saracens flanker Ben Earl on a season-long loan.
The Bears are one of a number of Gallagher Premiership clubs reportedly interested in Earl but the Daily Mail and other sources now report the deal is now close to being complete.
Earl, 22, made his international debut in England's 6-13 win over Scotland in the second row of the Guinness Six Nations and has been named on the bench to face Ireland on Sunday.
Earl replaced Bath flanker Sam Underhill in the 66th minute in the Calcutta Cup clash, when the scores were locked at 3-3, and was part of the pod of players that launched former Bristol prop Ellis Genge over the Murrayfield whitewash for the match-winning try.
The Saracens backrower has been in outstanding for this season and stood out in the 47-13 victory over Bristol at Allianz Park before Christmas when the North London club still had a chance of avoiding relegation.
Since then Saracens have been docked a further 70 points and will be relegated into the Greene King IPA Championship next season as punishment for breaking the salary cap this season in addition to the the previous three campaigns.
With Saracens needing to cut wages there will certainly be departures at the club and with Earl looking to cement his place in the England squad he is reported to want to continue playing topflight club rugby.
And according to The Rugby Paper, as well as multiple other sources, there is plenty of interest in his services with Bristol, Gloucester and Northampton Saints particularly keen.
All three clubs have repeatedly been linked with backrowers in the rumour mill, with Mitch Eadie switching Franklin's Gardens for Ashton Gate next season, and the Cherry and Whites reported to be on the verge of signing Ealing Trailfinders backrower Jordy Reid.
The Bears have been linked with Exeter Chiefs' Matt Kvesic and Osprey flanker Justin Tipuric this season with current backrowers Luke Hamilton and Jake Heenan out of contract at the end of the season and number eight Jordan Crane retiring at the end of the season.
Kvesic is now reported to be heading to Worcester Warriors while Wales international Justin Tipuric is likely to stay at Guinness PRO14 side Ospreys.
While Earl is a flanker, his dynamism means Saracens often pack the youngster down at the back of the scrum on their ball, allowing him to explode off in attack and making him a viable number eight alternative.
Earl's loan signing at Ashton Gate will reportedly cost the Bears a transfer fee of £200,000.
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Bristol Bears rugby writer John Evely assesses the Ben Earl transfer rumour
While many clubs are against the idea of one-year loan deal for Saracens players it strikes me that Lam, who is very much an outside the box thinker, could use it as another opportunity to bring in an international class player on the cheap.
With Fijian star Semi Radradra and England international prop Kyle Sinckler already confirmed as joining the club next season, Lam looks to have spent a considerable chunk of his budget - although Radradra will be a marquee player - meaning some cut price deals could be attractive.
Earl would add extra competition and options in the backrow which will be vital if Bristol are successful in achieving their aim of being in the Heineken Champions Cup next season.
The Bears have been able to rotate players in the Challenge Cup this season while still winning games, setting up a quarter-final against the Dragons in April, but next year the quality of the squad will have to step up to be competitive in Europe and in the Gallagher Premiership.
Warrior captain Steven Luatua and Dan Thomas have played a huge amount of rugby this season and for the longevity of their playing careers it will be important to be able to rotate players.
It strikes me the £200,000 transfer fee sounds considerably higher than the actual real number which is so often the case when talking about transfer deals and Bristol, but this one could very much be on.
