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The furore surrounding the future of Wales star George North looked to have ended tonight with the Wales star on his way to Northampton Saints.

WalesOnline understands North is agreeing a deal believed to be for two years with the Aviva Premiership giants after finding himself at the centre of a major row between the WRU and Welsh regions this week.

The Scarlets have insisted they have offered North the best possible deal to stay at Parc y Scarlets, while the union accused the region of actively trying to sell North a year before his contract was up without the player’s knowledge.

The move has sparked major debate on the future of the game in Wales, with the WRU inviting the regions to open discussions on centrally contracting our top stars.

North’s exit from the Welsh game follows the likes of Mike Phillips, James Hook and Luke Charteris, who have all moved to France, while the likes of Jamie Roberts and Dan Lydiate will follow this summer.

In an explosive statement on Sunday morning, the governing body, alarmed by the player drain of top Welsh talent, revealed they had attempted to broker a deal with another Welsh region to ensure North remained in this country.

We understand from an inside source the only region the player’s representatives would consider for this deal was the Cardiff Blues.

A dual contract was discussed but the move fell through amid the WRU discovering the four professional regions – the Blues, Scarlets, Ospreys and Dragons – had reached an agreement to stop any centrally-contracted Wales player appearing for them.

The union has since urged the regions to abandon this stance and also called on them to "halt the practice of selling Welsh-qualified senior players for profit before their contracts are concluded".

The Scarlets have defended their actions over North, insisting talks had only begun in the last two months, while maintaining they had offered the Welsh powerhouse a lucrative three-year deal.

When contacted about North signing for the English outfit, the Scarlets declined to comment, insisting they were continuing to give the player time and space to consider his future.