Springbok scrumhalf Faf de Klerk is on the verge of leaving Sale Sharks and signing a deal with Johan Ackermann’s Red Hurricanes team in Japan, according to reports in England.

According to the Telegraph, De Klerk is this week expected to accept a £900,000-a-year (R18,5m) offer from the Red Hurricanes.

The 30-year-old World Cup winner is one of Sale’s marquee players. However, the Manchester-based club reportedly cannot match what De Klerk has been offered from Japan.

This year will also see a reduction in the Premiership salary cap, from £6.4m to £5m.

The Red Hurricanes are coached by former Lions boss Ackermann, who gave De Klerk his big break at the Lions back in 2014. The two helped the Lions progress to the 2016 and 2017 Super Rugby finals. De Klerk will also be reunited with former Lions teammate Elton Jantjies, who is currently recovering from a shoulder injury.

De Klerk is not expected to be the only Springbok leaving Sale Sharks, with teammate Lood de Jager also linked with a move away.

It is believed that De Jager is likely to return to South Africa for family reasons, with the Stormers as a potential destination.

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