Aviva Premiership
Wasps 'set to make David Pocock world's best-paid rugby player'
AAP
February 17, 2016
A bloodied David Pocock looks on at Twickenham
A bloodied David Pocock looks on at Twickenham© Steve Bardens - World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images

David Pocock could become the best-paid rugby player in the world if he accepts a suggested multi-million-dollar deal to play in England.

The Telegraph in Britain has reported that Aviva Premiership club Wasps have contacted Pocock's representatives and indicated they'd be prepared to offer the 27-year-old a package in excess of the £1.4 million ($Aus2.82 million) a season that French Top 14 rivals Racing 92 are paying Rugby World Cup-winning five-eighth Dan Carter.

Pocock is off contract at the end of the 2016 Super Rugby season and is considering a one-year sabbatical from Australian rugby to study in the UK. But the Telegraph reported claims Pocock is open to the possibility of playing in England having enjoyed his time in the country during the World Cup.

Pocock is seen as the ideal replacement for Wallabies veteran George Smith, who is leaving Wasps at the end of the season. He is understood also to have fielded a number of offers, including from the Australian Rugby Union and Brumbies, and he will make a call on his future in coming weeks. Any deal will likely only be short term, with Pocock intending to play at the 2019 World Cup in Japan.

Pocock's possible departure from the Brumbies could prove costly to the Canberra-based franchise, as the team is already losing Wallabies skipper Stephen Moore to Queensland Reds and fellow international Matt Toomua to English club Leicester Tigers at season's end.

The report follows news fringe England playmaker Danny Cipriani will return to Wasps in a bid to revive his international career.

Cipriani played 95 games for the high-profile club between 2004 and 2010, before his brief Super Rugby stint with the Melbourne Rebels and most recently Sale Sharks. The 28-year-old is hoping to impress new national coach Eddie Jones after missing the final cut for England's World Cup squad.

© AAP

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