Wales in danger of losing Adams
French interest puts his Test spot in doubt
WALES coach Warren Gatland has been given a headache on the eve of the Six Nations, with his star wing Josh adams attracting interest from Lyon and other big- spending clubs in France.
adams has 44 caps and has been a mainstay of the Wales side since his Test debut in 2018. He was top try-scorer at the 2019 World Cup and earned Lions selection two years later.
The 27-year-old has a year left on his deal at Cardiff and has been in red-hot form for Wales’s capital side this season, with seven tries in his last six games.
But with none of the four Welsh regional teams being able to offer any players new contracts right now, the country’s international stars are becoming prime targets for moves abroad.
Try machine adams is one of them, and Sportsmail understands Top 14 side Lyon are eying him as a potential acquisition.
any move for adams would mean a club would have to pay Cardiff a transfer fee, but that has not put off French sides who have far bigger chequebooks than their European rivals.
Should he opt to leave Wales, adams would no longer be available for Test selection as he has fewer than the 60 caps required to play club rugby abroad and also feature at international level.
adams also cannot reach that magic number before the World Cup in France, so would need special dispensation from the Welsh Rugby Union to play at that tournament if he agrees to move overseas.
The potential of losing him would be a big blow to returning Wales head coach Gatland, given adams’ age and status as a Lion and established international star.
Gatland this week admitted more Wales stars are set to leave, with the WRU yet to formally sign a new financial deal with their four regions.
With no firm contract offers on the table, Dragons lock Will Rowlands has already agreed to join Paris giants Racing 92.
all four Welsh professional sides — Dragons, Cardiff, Ospreys and Scarlets — are in financial trouble and desperately need the deal with the WRU to be signed as quickly as possible.
Even if it is, however, the meagre budgetary sums expected to be on offer are still unlikely to convince all of Wales’s international players to stay put.
It means that once again Gatland is having to deal with offthe-field politics alongside the rugby ahead of the Six Nations beginning on February 4.
Wales will open up the 2023 Championship when they face Ireland at Principality Stadium.