Scarlets fend off Premiership competition to land Wales international Leigh Halfpenny on duel-contract

Halfpenny has been on the lookout for a new club since Toulon president Mourad Boudjellal confirmed in June that his contract was not being renewed

The deal will be partially funded by the Welsh Rugby Union (Getty)

Reigning Pro12 champions the Scarlets are poised to land a major coup with the signing of Wales international and British and Irish Lion Leigh Halfpenny, beating of competition from the Premiership in a deal that will be partially funded by the Welsh Rugby Union.

Halfpenny has been on the lookout for a new club since Toulon president Mourad Boudjellal confirmed in June that his contract was not being renewed due to the full-back’s absence from too many matches during his three-year stay in France.

Halfpenny suffered a serious knee injury in 2015 that ruled him out of action for nearly – including the 2015 Rugby World Cup – while international commitments have also prevented him from playing for Toulon, the most recent of which saw the 28-year-old miss the Top 14 Final last season after flying to New Zealand with the Lions squad.

Premiership side Bath were known to be interested in Halfpenny, only to be put off by his demands, while Leicester Tigers also expressed a private interest. However, it appears that the recently crowned club champions of Wales, Ireland, Scotland and Italy have won the race for his signature.

The Scarlets are in need of a replacement for Welsh international Liam Williams, who has completed his move to Saracens following his return from the Lions tour, and The Times reports that the WRU have stepped in to help fund his move back to the country.

Scarlets are on the cusp of signing the Lions star (Getty)

Under the terms of his proposed national duel contract, 60 per cent of Halfpenny’s salary would be paid for by the WRU, with the Scarlets making up the rest, although neither the club nor WRU commented on the matter on Monday.

It is also understood that a deal to take him back to the Cardiff Blues, the club he left in 2014 to join Toulon, failed to materialise after Halfpenny asked for a 28-month contract that would have seen him released immediately after the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.

The terms of the Scarlets deal are believed to be for three years, taking him up to the end of the 2019/20 season when he will be 31 years old, though the return of a key member of Warren Gatland’s Wales squad will help him with selection significantly given that he can only pick three players who ply their trade outside of the Pro12 –which this season is increased to the Pro14 due to the addition of the two South African teams the Cheetahs and Southern Kings.