Ford still has a year and a half remaining on his Bath contract

The George Ford transfer saga took another twist last night when it emerged that the Bath owner has stopped the England fly half from leaving the club in the summer.

Ford still has a year and a half remaining on his Bath contract but he has been uncomfortable at the club since his father, Mike, was sacked as director of rugby last summer.

The Times revealed in November that Ford had invoked a clause in his contract, which allowed him to explore an early exit from Bath but the owner, Bruce Craig, retained the controlling hand in where he went.

Ford’s father Mike was sacked as Bath director of rugby last summer STU FORSTER/GETTY IMAGES

Ford is believed to prefer a return to Leicester Tigers, the club he left to join Bath in 2013, but Craig has always stated that