Big spending Bristol may have just splashed the cash on Fijian superstar Semi Radradra but boss Pat Lam revealed they are still 'way under' the salary cap.

And the 51-year-old explained in great detail how the Bears - who will make their new signing a millionaire over three years - conform to the budgetary restraints that Saracens were found in breach of, saying it is 'easy' to do so.

Utility back Radradra, 27, joins next season from Bordeaux and Sportsmail understands he will earn around £500,000 per year as a 'marquee' player whose salary is not counted to the cap.

Big spending Bristol have just splashed the cash on Fijian superstar Semi Radradra

Charles Piutau, who is renegotiating his £900,000-a-year deal, is the other outlier in a star-studded squad that contains All Black Steven Luatua, England No 8 Nathan Hughes and Australian winger Luke Morahan who are all said to be on more than a £400,000 salary each.

Add those to the likes of New Zealand tight-head prop John Afoa and some are suspicious that Premiership table-toppers Bristol may follow Saracens and bust the salary cap to keep all these stars.

But Lam is adamant the Bears do things by the book.

'The salary cap is really easy,' said Lam.

'We're way below the salary cap. We have a guy we answer to.

'The first thing I did here was sit down with salary cap manager Andrew Rodgers and my CEO Mark Tainton and went through everything.

But Bristol boss Pat Lam revealed they are still 'way under' the salary cap following the signing

'Andrew is the guy who signs off everything and any questions you just ask him before you do anything.

'I was getting told "do this, do that" but my first question is always "is this legal?"

'I talk to agents who say "other clubs are doing this" but I will always say "is that in the rules?"

'If we know it isn't we're not interested. There is no way you can go over. If an agent says another £10,000 will do this, I will say "no this is the final offer". I will go nowhere near that line.

'The owner Steve Lansdown has a lot of integrity. That's the one of the reasons I came here.'

Lam pointed out a long list of players who he has signed after they fell out of favour at other clubs or have been plucked from the Championship and are not on big money, including Harry Thacker, Luke Hamilton, Harry Randall and Callum Sheedy.

The 27-year-old winger (right) was a box-office talent at this year's World Cup with Fiji

And he said that 'for the first time ever' Bristol spent under their club-wide budget last year.

Sportsmail has learned that Lam is still on the lookout for front-rowers and a fly-half, with No 10 Ian Madigan set to leave in the summer, to bolster a squad that he wants to secure a home semi-final in the Premiership play-offs this year.

It is believed Bristol tried to tempt George Ford - offering the 26-year-old, who is out of contract in July, around £550,000-a-year to join - but that interest has now cooled and the England fly-half is likely to stay at Leicester.

On Radradra - who Lam coached at the Barbarians, came to Bristol for a tour of the facilities last weekend and signed on Tuesday - Lam said: 'There's no doubt he's going to take things to another level. Everyone is ecstatic.

'We have a world-class, X-factor machine here.'