Tuqiri, 29, had previously been linked with a move to Bayonne and it is understood the Basque club remain highly interested in signing the former league and union international.

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At the time of Bayonne’s reputed interest Tuqiri said there were two factors weighing against a possible move to France: his then unresolved court case and also a desire to keep his family in Sydney.

But while the first has been settled it seems his wish to remain in Sydney could be determined by money. Bayonne are thought to be offering in the region of AUD$1m  per season to sign the winger, considerably more than he would get for a rumoured return to rugby league in Australia. Another potential obstacle to an NRL return is the fact the player has signed a confidentiality agreement – together with the ARU – about the exact reason for his sacking.

NRL bigwigs are keen to clean up their own game after a number of high profile players gained unwanted media attention for off-the-pitch behaviour, and chief executive David Gallop said he would want to know exactly why Tuqiri’s contract was torn up.

“There are a number of rumours but they are simply that and we would need to understand why a player was terminated for something other than his playing performance,” Gallop told The Australian newspaper.

“Clubs have accepted that they will be accountable for players who are repeatedly in trouble and therefore the need for an understanding of what happened is an issue for our clubs as well,” he added.

The fact ARU boss John O’Neill has also told the player he has no future in Australian rugby union could further weigh in Bayonne’s favour.

Tuqiri, for his part, has said he will weigh up all his options before deciding his next move.

“I’ll be out there chatting to a few other people over the next week or so,” he said. “I’m just going to go out and see what’s out there and go from there. There’s a few things going on and rugby league is certainly one of them, and I’ll just have to look at every option.”

One player seemingly set on leaving France is former Stade Francais full-back Nicolas Jeanjean, currently on trial with Guinness Premiership champions Leicester Tigers.

The 28-year-old ex-international impressed during the Tigers’ weekend clash with Cardiff Blues and club boss Richard Cockerill is now keen to secure his signature. “Nicolas did some nice things in Cardiff,” he said. “We would like to keep him. We are just in negotiations now and that will hopefully be settled by the end of the week,” Cockerill told the Leicester Mercury.

Jeanjean is due to continue his trial period by turning out for the Tigers in their home friendly against Irish giants Munster on Friday night.