Manu Tuilagi looks on during England's clash with New Zealand in Hamilton© Anthony Au-Yeung/Getty Images

Leicester Tigers boss Richard Cockerill hopes Manu Tuilagi will stay at the club but admits his head may have been turned by the huge offers reported to be on the table for his services.

Tuilagi, 24, has had an injury-ravaged couple of years but when fully fit, he is one of the most destructive ball-carriers England possess. His contract is up at the end of the season and there is reported interest from Wasps and Worcester.

Leicester will not break their wage structure to keep Tuilagi at the club but hope the offer they have tabled, along with their long-standing loyalty to Tuilagi through his injury and off-field troubles, will put them in good stead.

"We've put our best foot forward," Cockerill said in The Guardian. "But he's had his head turned by offers that would turn your head. In the end it is always about the money. We've offered him a very good contract, which would make him a very well-paid player within the world structure, never mind Leicester, and we'd love him to stay. He wants to stay but ultimately somebody's worth what someone's prepared to pay."

Cockerill added "the only way to prise away a player like Manu is to offer obscene amounts" but he hopes Tuilagi will see his long-term future at Leicester. Wasps have already attempted to distance themselves from Tuilagi but admitted if he did become available then they would be interested. News of Worcester's interest broke on Sunday and their director of rugby Dean Ryan has since refused to comment on the rumours.

"It's something which has moved on from where we were 12 months ago in terms of the type of people rumoured to be coming here, which is great," Ryan said in Worcester News. "But we are on the look-out all the time so we don't comment on anybody or anything but we're on the look-out all the time for good players to come."

For Cockerill though, he highlighted the fact Tuilagi has played just 14 games in two and a half years and he hopes their loyalty will sway the eventual call in the Tigers' favour.

"I'd like to think people realise the club's been pretty good to him. I'm comfortable what we've done with Manu is the right thing. I think he is too and I've every reason to believe he'll stay at the club."