Ulster scrum-half John Cooney looks set to join French second division side CA Brive next season, according to reports in France.
Per L’Equipe, the 34-year-old former Irish international has already agreed a two-year deal with the Corrèze club, who have ambitions on returning to the Top14 next season.
Earlier in the week, Cooney had been linked with Bordeaux-Begles, however it appears that Brive have won the race to his signature.
The ex-Leinster and Connacht man is out of contract at the end of the season and while Ulster head coach Richie Murphy had expressed interest in keeping around the veteran scrum-half, it appears his Ravenhill days are numbered.
Cooney was reportedly one of the lead targets for head coach Pierre-Henry Broncan, who is looking an experienced figure to replace Léo Carbonneau, who will join Racing 92 next season.
From an Ulster perspective, not only will they lose a talented scrum-half from their ranks but also one of the crowd favourites at Ravenhill, who has thrilled the fans since he arrived in 2017 with some massive moments.
His arrival was shrouded in controversy given he replaced Ulster legend Ruan Pienaar, but quickly Cooney became just as beloved, with his consistent performances seeing him included on the longlist for European Player of the Year in 2020 and named in the PRO14 Dream Team five times.
While Ulster are well placed to absorb the blow of his departure in the starting jersey, with Nathan Doak already seemingly having edged ahead in the pecking order, it does leave them short behind him.
Although David Shanahan is an experienced option, he has started few games in the past for the province, while Michael McDonald and Conor McKee have barely been tested at the top level, with only Clarke Logan in the Academy at present.
Therefore, it would not be surprising to see Ulster dip into the market for more depth at the position before the new season, although Murphy will hope he can still do enough to convince Cooney to stay.
“At this time of year, with players off contract, there’s always going to be conversations about those things,” the head coach said earlier in the week concerning rumours that Cooney and winger Jacob Stockdale, a target for Lyon and Racing 92, would leave in the summer.
“We don’t want to see them go. It’s like anything, if people decide to move on, well, the group here will move on without them.
“We’re trying to build something here going forward over the next number of years. Hopefully, the guys might want to be a part of that.”