Quade Cooper shakes hands with Toulon club owner Mourad Boudjellal in a Toulon jersey © RCT

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The Quade Cooper contract saga has taken yet another dramatic turn with enigmatic Toulon owner Mourad Boudjellal threatening to sue the Australian Rugby Union (ARU).

Boudjellal has accused the ARU of "dirty" tactics following their push to re-sign Cooper and retain one of rugby's few recognisable players in the crowded Australian sporting landscape.

Cooper appeared to be on his way to southern France when was photographed in a Toulon jersey alongside Boudjellal in April. But the fight for the 27-year-old's services has taken several twists and turns, with the ARU now believed to have secured Cooper on a four-year deal that will see him switch to Sevens next year.

There remains the issue of Cooper's compensation fee with Toulon, however, something a furious Boudjellal says could run into "millions of Euros".

"They have played dirty. They are speaking to a player who they know has signed. So there is collusion there and I might sue the Australian federation to ensure our rights are respected," Boudjellal told French station Sud Radio. "If Cooper doesn't come, the compensation will be in millions of euros.

"He was our first choice. The damage to our image is significant. He took a photo with us, we centred our season ticket campaign around him, his jersey is on sale. What's more, we passed on other fly-halves to get him."

Boudjellal is never far from the limelight in France, having had numerous run-ins with Top 14 bosses, and his anger about the Cooper situation has likely been heightened by the ARU's change in policy on overseas players that made Giteau and fellow Toulon back Drew Mitchell available for the Wallabies.

"La Fédération australienne n'a pas le cul propre," added Boudjellal - which literally translates to "the Australian Federation don't have a clean arse" but is slang for saying "they have played dirty".

Cooper will start from the bench for Australia against Argentina in the Rugby Championship Test in Mendoza on Saturday, having had a mixed evening in the thrilling win over the Springboks in Brisbane.