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The Wales captain is close to signing for a big English club amid the uncertainty in Wales
Dewi Lake is on the verge of leaving Welsh rugby, with English club Gloucester now confident of securing his signature.
A deal has not yet been completed but WalesOnline understands Gloucester are in pole position to sign the Wales captain. Lake’s Ospreys contract expires at the end of the season and has held talks with a number of Gallagher Prem outfits.
Gloucester’s primary target was the Scarlets‘ Springboks hooker Marnus van der Merwe, who was also very close to joining the Cherry & Whites before Munster pulled the rug out from under their feet to sign the South African.
Now Gloucester want Lake on a contract in the region of £250,000 a year and WalesOnline understands a deal is very close to completion.
The Welsh market is as unstable as it has ever been after the Welsh Rugby Union announced plans to cut the number of professional clubs from four to three.
It has announced it only wants one side in west Wales meaning either the Ospreys or Scarlets could cease to exist in the future.
Many Wales internationals, including Jac Morgan are now considering their futures and have held talks with numerous English clubs over the past month.
Whoever the three remaining Welsh clubs are, Lake would have been at the top of their shopping list and the WRU will most certainly want the 26-year-old to remain in Wales.
Gloucester are struggling towards the bottom of the Gallagher Prem and there is talk of a coaching restructure at the club.
But they remain one of the biggest clubs in England and the chance to play regularly in front of capacity crowds at Kingsholm is bound to be an attraction for many players.
The Cherry & Whites already have a sizable Welsh contingent, with the likes of Tomos Williams, Freddie Thomas, Max Llewellyn, Josh Hathaway, Deian Gwynne and Caio James at the club.
There is a strong chance Lake will now join them next season and a deal could be completed in the near future, although there has been interest from other clubs in England, while the Ospreys are desperate to retain his services should they survive. Gloucester, though, are the firm favourites.
