MUNSTER'S Simon Zebo has flirted with the notion of moving to France to ply his trade.
The winger’s contract is up for renewal soon, but the financial gains of playing in France, where Zebo has family, are much greater than in Ireland or England.
And in an interview with the Irish Independent, Zebo admitted moving abroad is something he’d have to consider at some point in his career, if not now.
He said: "I have a lot of family over there. I speak French but that is something that I would have to think about come contract time, which is actually quite soon.
"These days, players would be not as reluctant to leave as they once were. It's down to the individual and what they want to achieve and whether being at home in Ireland is enough for them or not.
“The time will come for every player to make that decision and you just have to make sure it's the right one."
The 25-year-old has likened the money on offer for elite rugby union players in France to what soccer players earn, although he does not consider that to be negative for the game.
He said: "These players earning massive contracts in France – getting €30, €40, €50,000 a month – that's soccer money. It's definitely going that way. There is more and more money coming into the game. It's great.
"We don't have the luxury of being in this business and earning this money for 30, 40 years.”
That said, the Cork native has stressed that he would find it incredibly difficult to leave his beloved Munster.
He added: "It is extra hard to leave a club like Munster which, I think, is different to every other club because that loyalty, passion and what you get back from the fans is different to any other club I've played with or been to.
"Winning with Munster and Ireland is the dream and that's what I want to achieve.”
