Bristol Bears’ marquee centre star Semi Radradra is set to return to his former club Bordeaux Begles next season according to reports coming out of France.
The country’s leading sports newspaper Midi Olympique reports Radradra is out of contract at Bristol at the end of the season and is yet to agree terms on a new deal.
Radradra, who is an Olympic sevens goal medalist, joined Bristol from Bordeaux in 2020 and helped the club to their first European title with Challenge Cup success against another of his former side’s Toulon just months after arriving at the Bears.
A pair of knee surgeries have hampered the former NRL star’s time at Bristol with his last game coming against Sale Sharks back in April 2022, however the former Fijian 15-a-side captain is due to return from the seven-month lay-off this weekend as Bristol host Leicester Tigers at Ashton Gate on Saturday night.
Midi Olympique report the departure of Christophe Urios as UBB’s director of rugby opens up a return for Radradra and the explosive centre and Bordeaux Begles president Laurent Marti are understood to have held talks.
Radradra is one of two players at Bristol who are designated marquee players meaning their wages sit outside of the league’s £5m baseline salary cap. Former All Black Charles Piutau is the other marquee player at the Bears.
Most Premiership clubs only currently have one marquee player after Premiership Rugby voted to reduce the number down as part of a cost cutting exercise to lessen the financial impact of the Covid-19 pandemic but until now Bristol have been able to keep two because their contracts predated the change in the laws. Any contract extensions would see the new regulations kick in, meaning if Bristol director of rugby Pat Lam want’s to keep both Radradra and Piutau, one of their wages will have to fit inside the salary cap which looks like a near impossible balancing act.
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