Dan Biggar says he has no offers on the table but would consider anything, including moves to France, Japan and back home to Wales.
The 103-cap fly-half will leave Northampton Saints after five years this summer as the Gallagher Premiership salary cap shrinks and marquee player allowance drops from two to one.
Finances have resulted in Biggar being viewed as a luxury the Franklin's Garden outfit can no longer afford and so the Wales skipper is now officially on the market.
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Of course, there will be a clamour for him to return to his homeland but you get the sense Biggar is a man in conflict. He has the ambition to experience life abroad, whether that involves lucrative moves to France and Japan, but he also knows that he must balance the needs of his two young children and wife.
Financially, a move to Wales might not be the most rewarding but it would provide a level of comfort for his family and that is an important factor, but it comes with a caveat.
He explains: “I wouldn’t rule out anything but it has to be the right move for me and also my young family as well. I’ve got two boys and a partner to think about, so it’s not quite as simple as making the right decision solely for yourself and from a rugby point of view.
"I’ll be really honest – they [Biggar's family] have to be right at the top of my list of considerations. So being closer to home will be a big thing. Familiarity in terms of knowing players and coaches in the setup in Wales.
“I think it [moving to Wales] would be handy from a family point of view but we’ve also spoken as a family about having an adventure. Because we know where we’re going to settle eventually and that’s back home, when rugby finishes.
“I’d like to think you know I’m pretty straight up and honest, and I’ve got nothing on the table at the moment, I’m not shutting myself off to anything.
“If and when offers come, they’ll be discussed, pros and cons will be weighed up and it’ll be the right move for me and my family.”
Since Biggar left the Ospreys to join Northampton in 2018, Welsh rugby has stumbled from one crisis to the next. There was the failed merger between his old side and the Scarlets and more recently the threat of a region being culled. The pro teams and the WRU are incapable of reaching financial agreements and it creates a turbulent environment in which to practice your profession.
There are also significant question marks over whether any of the regions could match his salary demands, even with the help of the WRU. With Gareth Anscombe considering his options after the World Cup, Biggar's old club the Ospreys might have room in the budget but even they'd likely have to find a little bit extra.
When asked if all the uncertainty in Wales would feature in his thought process, he said: “It does and it doesn’t. The situation in the English league at the minute isn’t at its healthiest and I know things aren’t as good as they could be in Wales either.
“Things can change very quickly as the last few weeks have proven in this league. From a personal point of view, it would be really nice to have an experience and I’m quite open to seeing different parts of the world, different parts of different cultures.
“I’m not saying that’s definite because I’ve got to get an offer from somewhere first and there’s nothing on the table right now."
Like Wales, a big-money move to the French Top 14 or even Japan comes with its pros and cons. Biggar remembers his time at the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan fondly, but is not kidding himself that moving to live out there would be the same.
Players lived a sheltered life at that global gathering and, whilst the money would be good in France, that is not without its faults either, particularly when it comes to the workload that teams there put on their players.
Assessing those options, Biggar said: "The seasons in France tend to run a little bit longer with lots of tough, attritional games and lots of travelling.
“But also, I suppose, you’re closer if you need to get back to Wales. It’s a lot easier than if you’re in Tokyo or wherever.
“The way of the world now is you can stay in touch with anyone. I loved Japan when I was out there for the 2019 World Cup and I think the important thing to say is that in 2019 we were staying in the best hotels, we were having food cooked for us four times a day, we were having buses and translators.
“So I’m not under any illusions that if you go, it’s going to be as easy as that. You’ve still got to do your washing, got to do your food shop, find schools and all those bits and pieces.
“But that’s part of it. I’m really jealous of players who have moved around to a few different places, played in leagues in different countries, different cultures.
“When they sit back and finish their careers, to say that you’ve lived in possibly France, possibly Tokyo or wherever, that’s a really cool thing to say.
“It’s exciting as well. It really is quite exciting to see what the future holds. I really don’t know what’s going to go on.”
Whatever move Biggar makes, it won't be until after the Rugby World Cup next autumn, in which he will be a central figure for Wayne Pivac's Wales side. The decision over his future may well be influenced by what happens to his Test career and whether or not he has the desire to carry on playing at the top level.
A move to Japan would likely end his international career due to the travel that would be involved, the standard of rugby and the season schedule. The league runs from December to April and Biggar, for example, would miss seven of the 15 weeks due to the Six Nations.
If, however, he decides to call time on his Test career, then that is no longer a factor. The two decisions seem interlinked and he clearly has much to ponder. A move to France, though, would be much more conducive to the continuation of his Wales career.
Asked if he still wants to play after the 2023 World Cup, Biggar said: "I think it all depends what offers get put on the table. There is no doubt about it, you’re probably not as valuable to teams if you’re playing international rugby. There’s no secret in that and I’m not letting the cat out of the bag there, it’s simple maths.
“But the end of the World Cup cycle is a good time to be thinking about changes. You never know what the coaches are thinking, there may be new coaches, they may want to bring in a new cycle of players.
“The World Cup is a good aim and depending how that pans out and what the offers are, I’ll possibly be looking at something around that time.
“It’s also about trying to go out on my own terms as well, if I can get there first of all. You look at a lot of sports people, it’s very rare that you get to call time yourself, whether that’s through injury, form or someone pushing you out the door.
“That is something that appeals to me, being able to be satisfied with that decision rather than it being someone else’s.”
Biggar says he hasn't held discussions with Wales boss Pivac about his future beyond next year's global gathering and is focusing his energy on making it to France 2023.
"Get to the World Cup and assess where we are from there,” he says.
But it seems his domestic future is very much up in the air.
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