Red Devils to pounce for Escare
MORGAN Escare’s departure from Wigan has been confirmed, paving the way for the French international to sign for Salford.
The Red Devils are expected to move for the 28-year-old as the replacement for the departing Niall Evalds, who will join Castleford when his contract expires at the end of the season.
Escare was out of contract at the conclusion of the campaign, but has been released from his deal at the Warriors by mutual consent, giving him the chance to secure a long-term contract elsewhere.
That is thought to be at the AJ Bell Stadium, where head coach Ian Watson is seeking a replacement for Evalds after it was confirmed last month the Red Devils Academy graduate had rejected several offers from the club and is moving on.
It has not yet been officially confirmed that the Tigers are Evalds’ destination, but Daryl Powell’s side released fullback Jordan Rankin earlier this month to enable him to return to his native Australia.
As a result, it is expected that
Castleford will look to bring Evalds to the Mend-A-Hose Jungle ahead of time, and may be willing to pay a transfer fee to do so.
After starting his Super League career with Catalans Dragons, French international Escare was released at the conclusion of the 2016 season and joined Wigan, initially on a one-year deal designed to provide cover for Sam Tomkins.
He made 47 appearances for the Warriors - including in the 2017 World Club Challenge victory over Cronulla Sharks and the 2018 Grand Final success at Old Trafford - scoring 14 tries.
However, he struggled for gametime under Adrian Lam and with Zak Hardaker and Bevan French ahead of him, Escare spent time on loan at Wakefield Trinity last season and has yet to appear this year.
Wigan executive director Kris Radlinski said: “With the limited opportunities to find a game for Morgan and with the cancellation of the reserve programme for 2020, it was felt the best thing by all was to allow Morgan to find another club for the remainder of 2020 and secure a contract for 2021 and beyond.”