Jackson on the verge of transfer to London Irish

FORMER Ulster out-half Paddy Jackson seems once again to be nearing a switch to England for next season.

Jackson (below) has a clause in his Perpignan contract that would allow him to leave should the Basque side be relegated from the Top 14 which appears a near certainty.

And having been linked with a switch to London Irish last year, it is thought completion of the deal is nearing.

The side are currently top of England’s second tier and coached by former Ulster Director of Rugby Les Kiss and Declan Kidney, the man who gave Jackson his Ireland debut back in 2013.

Should the 27-year-old become an Exile, it will only increase speculation that the move is acting as something of a stepping stone to a an ultimate switch back to Irish rugby.

In March of 2018, he and team-mate Stuart Olding were both acquitted of raping the same woman by a Belfast court but had their contracts revoked by Ulster and the IRFU following an independent review and amid talk of sponsor unease.

IRFU chief David Nucifora has already refused to rule out a future return for the pair.

“The boys have moved on and I’m glad they got themselves contracts but you can’t say definitively whether they will or won’t come back,” he told local press back in October.

“As time moves on I suppose we’ll see, but there is no plan now to drag the boys back. I think they’re just getting on with their lives over there in France and hopefully they do well so as time goes on, we’ll see.

“Don’t shut the door on anything.”