Sale have agreed to pay Toulon €100,000 to release Ashton from his contract after his family failed to settle in France

Chris Ashton has signed for Sale Sharks in a move that will reignite his prospects of playing for England at the 2019 World Cup.

Ashton finalised his return to the Gallagher Premiership yesterday once Sale agreed to pay Toulon €100,000 (about £88,500) to secure his release after one record-breaking season of a three-year contract.

The Times understands that Ashton agreed to give up some image rights that he was owed by Toulon to help the deal go through, and he has taken a significant pay cut in joining Sale for about £450,000 a year.

Ashton, who was born in nearby Wigan, said: “This really feels like going home. I’m not coming to rest on my laurels. I’ve got a lot of rugby left in me