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Johan Goosen may be on the brink of a surprise return to Racing 92, the club he abruptly quit in December 2016, according to reports in the French press.
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The 24-year-old South African – who was voted Top 14 player of last season following the Ciel-et-Bleus’ Brennus-winning campaign – suddenly quit Racing, despite earlier signing a contract extension to remain at the club on the fringes of Paris until 2020.
He announced his retirement from the game rather than continue to pick up the reported €40,000 a month that playing rugby in the capital would have earned him , and that he had taken up a position as a commercial director of a stud farm in his native South Africa.
Goosen’s decision prompted an angry reaction from club president Jacky Lorenzetti. “Johan Goosen, whose contract was [extended] less than a year ago, now claims to be able to get rid of it in a fantastic way,” he said in a club statement released at the time of Goosen’s sudden departure – but the club has always maintained that it would welcome him back, and was prepared to discuss any issues.
Now, rugby newspaper Midi Olympique has reported that the player could return to Racing ‘within days’, after realising that it was his only route back into the game.
The report quotes agent Christian Joyard, who handled Goosen’s move to Racing in June 2014: “We have evidence that Johan Goosen is on his way back to France. He just told us, and if it was a normal situation, I would even say [it will happen in] a matter of days.”
But, Joyard warned: “You and I know that the player is unpredictable and is subject … to various forms of pressure [that] could influence his … decision.”
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It would be a dramatic turnaround. According to some reports in South Africa, Goosen had previously told friends that he would rather go to prison than play again in Racing colours. If he does head back to Stade Yves du Manoir, he will have a lot of bridges to build.
