Frans Steyn took a step closer to joining French club Racing Metro when his agent met with club chairman Jackie Lorenzetti on Sunday.
Last week keo.co.za confirmed with insiders at Racing Metro that the club had made a significant offer to Steyn, and were confident of signing him.
However, Steyn, through his agent, Gerrie Swart, maintained that he would see out the remainder of his contract with the Sharks (it runs until October) and honour his Springbok contract (which ends in December).
However, the Parisian club are determined to sign Steyn prior to the commencement of their 2009/10 season. Swart maintained that that was not an option, but it does now seem more and more likely that the 21-year-old World Cup winner will join Racing in December.
Lorenzetti, who owns France’s biggest estate agency group, Foncia, has bankrolled major improvements in terms of the calibre of players at Racing Metro as well as to their training facilities, which are world-class.
Lorenzetti eyed his prize from a Newlands suite on Saturday and on Sunday met with Swart to discuss a number of issues and re-affirm his intent to sign Steyn.
“We have never initiated any discussions with any club but it’s only natural that when a player of Frans’ calibre becomes available that there will be interest,†Swart told keo.co.za.
“We’ve had offers from all over the world, including clubs in Japan, but at this stage we haven’t signed any deal yet, although Racing have shown the strongest interest.
“My discussion with [Lorenzetti] was nothing more than business and the Springbok and Sharks coach knew all about it. He owns an ambitious club who are likely to be promoted to the Top 14, and he wants to build a team capable of doing really well there.
“Already they’ve signed [France forwards] Sebastien Chabal and Lionel Nallet and they’re looking at some other high profile players, some of whom are South African - including Frans.â€
Swart said that positional uncertainty with both the Springboks and Sharks had initially been a motivation for Steyn to consider his options, but said the fact that there has been consensus between the Sharks and Springboks’ coaching staff that he would specialise at inside centre means he could be encouraged to stay in South Africa.
“But the reality is that Frans is not settled in the Sharks or Springbok teams, so he’s considering all his options,†Swart said.
“It is encouraging though that he now knows what he is seen as. When he was 19 he was happy to play anywhere. Now that he’s matured more he feels like he can make a bigger contribution to both the Sharks and Springboks if he specialises in one position rather than being shifted around the backline. He felt that didn’t progress his development.
“He’ll assess the situation in due course and make a final decision after taking everything into account.â€
Swart stressed that Steyn would not play in the French second division, should Racing fail to gain promotion - referring to the money earned there as “danger pay†given the brutally that marks many matches.[/b]
