LIST | 5 Biggest Gallagher Premiership Transfers That Nearly Happened

When it comes to transfer speculation, separating the fact from the fiction can often be an arduous task. 

Whether it's down to stubbornness, arrogance, financial irregularity or downright bad luck, these transfers were all close to happening. Had they done so, their ramifications would have profoundly altered the Premiership landscape as we know it.

Hot on the heels of landing fly half Danny Cipriani for the 2016/17 season, Wasps reportedly made an audacious attempt to bring David Pocock to the Premiership. The potential deal would have made the Wallabies flanker the highest paid rugby player in the world. According to offered him a package in excess of the £1.4 million to sign. This would have been the biggest Premiership transfer ever.

According to the Telegraph, the Yorkshire club were ready to make a third bid to attract All Blacks giant Jonah Lomu to England in 2001 - and offer him the chance to star for both Leeds Rhinos in Super League and for Leeds Tykes in the Zurich Premiership. They were considering a deal which would see 6ft 5ins Lomu play both rugby codes. A £250,000 a year offer was reportedly on the table but it never happened.

Gloucester were linked with Italy star Sergio Parisse back in 2017 when Stade Francais faced an uncertain future due to the possible merger with Racing 92. The Rugby Paper reported that he is on Gloucester's radar but the deal never happened. Parisse, who is out of contract with Toulon this summer, has once again been linked with a move to Kingsholm ahead of the 2020/21 Premiership season.

The fullback was linked with a stunning move to Leicester Tigers prior to the 2018/19 Premiership season. When asked about the transfer the 22-year-old avoided the question but the deal was never complete with him eventually signing a new deal in New Zealand.

The Wales fullback has been linked to the black, blue and whites on three separate occasions. The closest he came to joining the club was back in 2017  when he visited the club’s training complex with his contract at Toulon soon to expire. Halfpenny weighed up the move, but instead headed back to hometown club Scarlets after they teamed with the WRU to make him a better offer than Bath could compete with.