Julian Salvi of Leicester Tigers© Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images

Leicester Tigers flanker Julian Salvi has agreed a deal to join Exeter Chiefs next season.

Salvi joins Tigers colleague Geoff Parling in making the switch to the West Country club, while No.8 Thomas Waldrom made the move last year. Waldrom has enjoyed a wonderful first season with Exeter and currently sits top of the Aviva Premiership try-scorers table. 

"Put simply, he is a very good player, very highly-rated and one of the star open-side flankers in the Premiership for a number of seasons now," said Exeter Director of Rugby Rob Baxter.

"I think people are aware that he has come available relatively late in the season as a target for us, so I took the decision when I knew he was coming available to talk to him. I spent a bit of time looking at him in detail and it's like a lot of players, you have watched them play and know some of their qualities but you have to watch them in detail before you make any decisions. The more detail that I looked into Julian, the more impressed I was.

"He is talked about an awful lot for his defensive qualities, but what I was most pleased with was what I saw of his attacking qualities. When we looked at him in detail it all added up. Our meeting went very well and he came across very well in what he said about his continued ambitions about the game and what he wants to achieve and get out of rugby.

"With the situation which ended up happening at Leicester, it was an opportunity that was too good for us to miss. I think Julian will fit in really well. He is very much his own man and I was very pleased we could sign him for the next two years."

Salvi has signed a two-year contract with Exeter after four years at Welford Road. He joined Leicester in 2011 from Brumbies in his native Australia. He scored 11 tries in 112 appearances for Tigers.