The battle to save financially crippled Montauban continues to twist and turn, although one of three rescue packages now appears dead in the water.

Over the weekend it emerged that FDIC - sponsors of Toulouse FC - could come to their aid with a €3m cash injection, but on Monday the company denied it would be able or willing to finance such a deal.

Two other possibilities remain in the offing, although neither has so far found favour with Montauban Mayor Brigitte Barèges. And unless something can be hashed out quickly it remains likely that Montauban will be relegated to ProD2 due to the €1.7m shortfall in this season's budget.

That bombshell news came after Montauban was one of three Top 14 clubs - and six in total - that was hauled before the all-powerful DNACG earlier this month.

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The other two options that remain on the table both involve the club's current primary sponsor Matmut. The first, at the suggestion of Matmut president Daniel Havis, would see the city council buy out Montauban's existing debt to Matmut with regards to financing the renovation of the the club's Stade Sapiac stadium, with the company then injecting €1.7m into Montauban coffers to cover the budget shortfall.

Matmut would additionally plough in an extras €1m to secure Montauban's immediate financial security, but the plan has so far been rebuffed by Barèges.

The other possibility still under consideration has been put forward by Havis and Jean-Michel Baylet - president of the general council. They have suggested the club could sell its Stade Sapiac site to Matmut for a token €1, and that the club would then be able to free its debt to Matmut via a loan, with the company injecting an immediate €2m into the club's coffers.

Both options remain possible, but time is running out for Montauban as they only have eight days to file an appeal against their financial relegation - and must then have just 72 hours to prove the validity of that appeal.

Havis and Baylet released a joint statement following the collapse of the rumoured FDIC rescue, warning that the club still faced the possibility of liquidation - let alone relegation. If that was to occur then the Top 14 side would drop down five divisions to Fédérale 3.

Elsewhere in France, Stade Toulousain's Tongan centre Manu Ahotaeiloa is set for a return to SU Agen - his former club - as the ProD2 leaders near confirmation of their season-long chase for automatic promotion back to Top 14.

Agen are now 10 points clear of second-placed Oyonnax with just three games to go and confirmed on Monday that Ahotaeiloa, 24, would return to take up a two-year contract. He left for Stade Toulousain in February 2008 but has only made three league starts for the south west giants this season.

Meanwhile, Racing Métro prop Clément Baiocco has decided not to go through with his proposed switch to Toulon after the cash-rich Cote d'Azur club confirmed it had secured the services of former All Black tighthead Carl Hayman from Newcastle Falcons.

Toulon had previously announced that Baiocco would be arriving in the summer but it now seems the arrival of Hayman - and Bourgoin prop Karena Wihongi - has dampened the Racing payer's enthusiasm to move in view of his likely place in the pecking order.

One player who does seem set to leave Racing, though, is 36-year-old Olivier Diomandé. The veteran hooker is currently in talks with Nimes president Claude Pontaud about returning to finish his career at the club where he launched his professional career.

Top 14 Transfers 2010/11

Toulon, however, seem likely to loan out two players next season with Nicolas Agnesi, 21, tipped to join Pau and Benjamin Baster, 25, being eyed up by Oyonnax. Both payers are props, underlying the current (and future) front row strength at the club.

Yet another club prop, Tonga Lea'aetoa, is also being linked with a move away from the club, with Newcastle Falcons his possible destination as a direct replacement for..., yes, you guessed it, Carl Hayman.

Toulon head coach Philippe Saint-André, meanwhile, has talked about the importance of winning some silverware this season after his side's weekend 38-12 triumph against the Scarlets in the Amlin Challenge Cup.

The victory set them up for an away semi-final against Irish side Connacht Rugby and Saint-André confirmed: "We are taking the Challenge Cup very seriously. It's a good competition."

Saint-André said his previous experience coaching in England had shown him the value of winning the competition. "It's a good step. I remember with Sale we won the Challenge Cup and then went on to win the English league," he added.

"At the beginning of the season we set two targets of finishing in the top six in the French league and reaching the quarter-finals of the Amlin Challenge Cup. You have a lot of teams in the Challenge Cup that go on to do more. If we can do something like this this year and get some silverware it will be great for the players and for the club," confirmed Saint-André.

The former Sale and Gloucester coach is currently building an enviable squad at Toulon, but he is in a battle to hold on to one of his stars with former rugby league international Sonny Bill Williams seemingly being courted by clubs (and codes) around the globe.

According to reports in Australia, Williams is wanted by clubs from Japan, Australia, New Zealand, England and France, with a possible return to 13-man rugby also being mooted. The 24-year-old looks likely to remain at Toulon, however, with the club more than willing to shove a load more cash his way to secure his services for another year.

Williams' agent is apparently in discussions with the New Zealand Rugby Union about brokering a deal to seal his return to his homeland, but as with Hayman before him it would appear unlikely they could compete with the riches on offer in the south of France.

Another league convert currently being courted in Stade Francais centre Mark Gasnier. The former Kangaroo had been widely tipped to return to Australia in the close season, with either the Melbourne Rebels or Queensland Reds favourites to get his signature, but it now seems that Stade's incoming Australian boss Michael Cheika has ordered the club to break the bank with a new lucrative deal in a last-ditch effort to keep him in Paris.

Stade Francais fly-half Lionel Beauxis has confirmed he will be staying put to see out his current contract, despite an exit clause which allowed him to leave in the summer. The 25-year-old has been Stade's starting No 10 when fit this season and will now remain at the Paris club until 2011.

Finally, defending champions Perpignan have announced that 34-year-old Christophe Manas will become their new backs coach after Franck Azema announced that he would join Clermont in the summer.

Manas has been coaching the club's Espoirs this season and has now signed a two-year deal to step up to the first team.