Ospreys scrum-half Mike Phillips looks set to continue the Welsh exodus to France next season after being linked with European champions Stade Toulousain.

Phillips is being tipped to follow the likes of Gavin Henson, Lee Byrne and James Hook to play in Top 14 next season following weekend reports claiming he has already held talks with Stade Toulousain.

The four-time French champions have released veteran All Blacks scrum-half Byron Kelleher, while Frédéric Michalak has yet to sign a new deal.

However, they do have Argentine international Nicolas Vergallo on their books, while youngster Nicolas Bézy - who played in their weekend win against Biarritz - is also highly rated by the club. Furthermore it has also been reported they will sign Australian Luke Burgess.

But the Welsh press has reported that Phillips held talks with Toulouse after being told he could leave the Ospreys at the end of this season, despite having three more years still left on his contract.

The 28-year-old is one of the highest paid players in Wales, with his current deal worth close to £1m, but it appears the Ospreys are keen to cut their wage bill as they seek to rebuild following the departures of Henson, Byrne and Hook.

Top 14 transfers for 2011/12

Phillips recently won his 50th cap for Wales in the 2011 Six Nations, celebrating his achievement with a controversial try against Ireland in Cardiff.

Toulouse, meanwhile, have something of a scrum-half crisis for this weekend's away match against Toulon in Top 14. Head coach Guy Noves had already said that he would rest several players for this game following their Heineken Cup exertions, but his hand will be forced in terms of the No 9 position due to injuries to Kelleher, Michalak and now Bézy.

That means Vergallo is due to return after a five-week absence with a broken hand, while his fly-half partner is likely to be youngster Jean-Marc Doussain as Noves rests David Skrela. Noves is also likely to rest prop Daan Human, while flanker Sylvain Nicolas is set for a three-week spell on the sidelines due to a shoulder problem.

Elsewhere on the transfer front, London Wasps have announced the signing of Bayonne lock Ross Filipo, 31.

The former All Blacks international has agreed a two-year deal with the Aviva Premiership club.

Fly-half Shane Geraghty, meanwhile, is being linked with a summer move to Brive. The Northampton player, 24, visited the Limousin club earlier this week with a view to joining next season.

Another player on the move is SU Agen's 29-year-old winger Florent Cazeaux, who is set to join ProD2 outfit Carcassonne on a one-year contract with the option of another year.

Big-spending Toulon are being linked with a move for Fijian flanker Seva Rokobaro, who currently plays for Pays d'Aix in ProD2. The 32-year-old international can play across the back row, with Var Matin reporting that his versatility is much admired by Toulon head coach Philippe Saint-André.

"This is a player with great potential," Saint-André told Var Matin. "He was a latecomer to rugby so he is still a new boy. He is one of the best in his position in ProD2. He is very powerful," purred Saint-André.

Rokobaro has previously played for Fédérale 1 sides Marmande and Perigueux, and would be likely to be available for Toulon during the World Cup if he signs.

Meanwhile, Toulon will have to make do without winger Christian Loamanu when they entertain Stade Toulousain at the Stade Vélodrome this weekend.

The Japanese international sprained an ankle in last weekend's Heineken Cup defeat by Perpignan and is likely to be sidelined for at least three weeks. If his recovery goes as planned he should be available again for Toulon's last league match of the season, away to Montpellier on May 7. There was better news for hooker Sebastian Bruno, however, with the Toulon player now expected to be fit for the Toulouse match despite picking up a calf injury against Perpignan.

Perpignan are also counting the cost of the bruising encounter, with France prop Jérôme Schuster set to miss his team's semi-final clash with Northampton Saints after also spraining an ankle. Like Loamanu he is likely to be out for three to four weeks.

Clermont Auvergne are set to welcome back a number of internationals for their trip to Paris this weekend. Davit Zirakashvili, Mario Ledesma and Jamie Cudmore are all up for selection against Stade Francais after recovering from injuries, while Morgan Parra and Julien Bonnaire are both back after being given time off. Thibaut Privat is also available after completing his suspension, but Wesley Fofana and Julien Malzieu remain on the crock list.

Two other major stories continue to run in France, with Bayonne set to hold a crucial extraordinary general meeting tonight - which will decide the future of chairman Francis Salagoity - while Canal+ is in ongoing negotiations with the LNR over television rights for Top 14.

The Bayonne meeting has been forced after a power struggle between Salagoity and major investor Alain Afflelou, with the latter withdrawing his future support recently following the abrupt resignation of Bernard Laporte - who was brought on board in an advisory role earlier this season.

The television rights issue has been rolling for some time too, with no agreement reached as yet after two lengthy meetings between Canal+ (the current rights' holders) and the LNR.

According to the French press the LNR has offered to sell exclusive rights to Canal+ for the next five years in a deal worth €37m per season, while the television company has responded with a counter offer worth €27m per season.

Money, or lack of it, is also causing concern at Stade Francais once again. The troubled Paris club has experienced another hugely disappointing league campaign and, like last year, needs to find extra cash to fulfill its budget - or face the wrath of the DNACG.

Stade president Max Guazzini is understood to be meeting several banks with a view to investment in the Paris club, which further raises the possibility of the multi-millionaire losing his majority share-holding. At present Guazzini has a 67% stake in the club, but he would relinquish that majority holding if his stake slips beneath 51%.

Finally, Mathieu Bastareaud may be keeping his future plans under wraps but the Stade Francais centre will definitely be playing for the Barbarians against England on May 29th, if fit. Bastareaud was one of seven France-based players to be named in the Barbarians' provisional squad, alongside club-mate Sergio Parisse, Toulon trio Carl Hayman, George Smith and Paul Sackey, Biarritz's Iain Balshaw and Racing-Métro's Frans Steyn. Many of those selected are unlikely to be available, however, as the match clashes with the Top 14 semi-finals.