Simon Zebo in contract talks with Stade Francais

Simon Zebo is continuing to explore his contract options for next season after meeting Stade Francais representatives for preliminary talks this week.

The Munster box-office wing or full-back held talks with the Top 14 champions in Paris having previously been linked with mighty Toulouse.

Zebo’s three-year Munster deal ends at the end of this campaign, but the IRFU will struggle to match the deep pockets of the French Top 14 if they want to tie him to a central contract next season.

Stade Francais host Munster on Sunday week in the Champions Cup, giving Parisiens a close up look at their potential recruit. The French aristocrats almost went bankrupt three years ago under former president Max Guazzini before tech giant Oberthur Technologies pumped up to 30m into the club.

Their return to rugby’s top table tonight at Leicester is their first game in Europe’s showpiece competition for six years. But they’ve struggled in the early rounds of the Top 14, winning only three of their eight games.