Blake Ferguson open to switch to England after holding preliminary talks with clubs over move

Clubs have held talks with Australia and NRL star Blake Ferguson over a remarkable move to the country after he expressed an interest in trying his hand at the English game.

The former Canberra and Parramatta winger is currently back in Australia following a disastrous spell in Japanese rugby union, which culminated in him spending 29 days in jail after reportedly being caught in possession of cocaine while in a Tokyo restaurant. He was subsequently released from his contract with NEC Green Rockets before returning home.

Ferguson was released from jail after a judge deemed that the stint in prison was sufficient time served, and he had his passport returned to him, enabling him to fly back to Australia last week. The 32-year-old's management have been in contact with NRL clubs to try and secure a contract for 2022, but they have had no success on that front yet.

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However, Rugby League Live has learned that Ferguson is not against the prospect of coming to England in a bid to resurrect his rugby league career. Ferguson and his management have held what have been described as 'constructive' talks with clubs on this side of the world about a sensational switch to the English game.

There is one major stumbling block, however. Ferguson would be subject to the quota dispensation rules across Super League and, as things stand, only one top-flight club have space on their overseas quota: Warrington Wolves.

That means that if any other club were interested in Ferguson, they would have to find a way to release an overseas player before securing a deal. There are no such rules in the Championship, however, which could potentially