Jonny Wilkinson has become a target for Racing Metro Paris © Getty Images

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News: Toulon confirm Wilkinson interest

Players/Officials: Sebastien Chabal | Lionel Nallet | Frans Steyn | Jonny Wilkinson

Tournaments/Tours: French Top 14 | Guinness Premiership | French Top 14

Teams: England | France

Ambitious French club Racing Metro Paris have revealed a star-studded list of transfer targets including England fly-half Jonny Wilkinson, South Africa centre Francois Steyn and French locks Sebastien Chabal and Lionel Nallet.

Racing Metro, currently top of the French second division, have signalled their intention of luring the great and good of French and UK rugby to their cause, with Nallet, currently at Castres, and Sale's Chabal rumoured to have agreed terms based on their promotion to the Top 14.

Wilkinson, currently at Newcastle Falcons, is set to return to fitness after a lengthy layoff with a shoulder injury and will no doubt be tempted by a chance to test himself against the best that France have to offer. With Newcastle currently one of the Premiership clubs struggling with the effects of the credit crunch, they may also be tempted to relieve the strain placed on their wage bill.

With the French league not subject to a salary cap as in England several stars, notably Wasps' Danny Cipriani and James Haskell, have been linked with a move to France. Now Wilkinson has been named on a wish-list for Racing Metro, who should they win promotion would do well to heed the troubles that have beset the similarly affluent Toulon in the Top 14. With stars such as Jerry Collins, Sonny Bill Williams and player-coach Tana Umaga on board, Toulon sit third-from-bottom in the table and have won only four league games since their promotion last season.

"We will see about the arrival of Nallet and Chabal," said Racing coach Pierre Berbizier. "These are players who are interesting us, as are a good few others - Steyn and why not Wilkinson? I have to admit that all these links are good."

Racing are owned by Jacky Lorenzetti, who owns France's biggest estate agency group Foncia, who has earmarked the players as marquee signings ahead of their expected return to the top flight and a match for their big-spending Parisian rivals Stade Francais.

Steyn has already been made an offer by Racing Metro, but will see out his contract with the Sharks and South Africa, with the aim of facing the British and Irish Lions this summer.

"Yes, Frans has been approached by Racing Metro and I have been in correspondence with them over the past few months," his agent Gerrie Swart recently told the Daily News. "However, Frans is contracted with the Sharks until the end of the Currie Cup and with the Springboks until the end of the year, so nothing can happen until then."