England winger Chris Ashton has ended his association with current club Northampton Saints, agreeing a lucrative long-term contract that will see him join Saracens at the start of next season.
Saracens are still in the midst of their final Heineken Cup pool matches, and were previously expecting to announce the signing of Ashton once the pool stages had finished.
However, Ashton's deteriorating relationship with Northampton has meant that the deal for England's exciting winger - believed to be worth in the region of £250,000-per-week - has already broken news.
“We are obviously especially delighted but, for now, Chris remains a Northampton player," A spokesman for Saracens stated.
"Out of respect for Saints, Saracens will not make any further comment on the matter.”
According to the Telegraph, Ashton has been dropped for the Saints upcoming Heineken Cup match with Munster, despite director of rugby Jim Mallinder insisting he will select his strongest side for the vital clash.
Mallinder has supposedly been central to Ashton's decision to part ways with Northampton, after the two were involved in a training ground bust-up, after which Ashton stormed out of the training facility.
Following his four-week suspension, the former Rugby League star played against the Scarlets last weekend, and is still believed to be a key member of England's upcoming RBS Six Nations campaign set to get underway against Scotland at Murrayfield on February 4.
