Exeter Chiefs loosehead prop Alec Hepburn could be out of action for at least 10 months after injuring his knee.

The 23 year-old had only just recovered from a broken thumb when he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament and damaged cartilage during training.

"It's a pretty significant injury," said Exeter coach Baxter. "Alec was getting very close to returning from what was a badly broken thumb earlier in the season and was literally running around in a game of touch, so wasn't even contact, and has just moved awkwardly and has ruptured his ACL and a bit of cartilage damage.

"He's going to have an operation shortly, but depending on the severity of it all when they operate, traditionally it can take between eight and 10 months."

Aviva Premiership transfers 2016/17

BATH

IN: Luke Charteris (from Racing 92), Taulupe Faletau (from Dragons), Elliott Stooke (from Gloucester), Michael van Vuuren (from Leicester Tigers), Harry Davies (from Cardiff Blues), Kahn Fotuali'i (from Northampton Saints), Jack Walker (from Yorkshire Carnegie), Aled Brew (from Dragons), Will Homer (promoted from academy), Max Clark (promoted from academy), Robbie Freuan (from Crusaders), Paul Grant (from Otago), Jack Wilson (from Highlanders), Ben Tapuai (from Western Force), Sam Underhill (from Ospreys).

OUT: Will Spencer (to Worcester Warriors), Ollie Devoto (to Exeter Chiefs), Rob Webber (to Sale Sharks), Jonathan Evans (to Scarlets), Luke Arscott (to Bristol), Max Northcote-Green (to London Irish), Brett Herron (to Ulster), Stuart Hooper (retired), Dominic Day (to Toyota Verblitz), Amanaki Mafi (to NTT Shining Arcs), Tom Woolstencroft (to Wasps), Leroy Houston (to Queensland Reds), Horacio Agulla (to Castres), Kyle Eastmond (to Wasps), Alafoti Fa'osiliva (released), David Wilson (to Newcastle Falcons), Niko Matawalu (to Exeter Chiefs).

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BRISTOL

INS: Martin Roberts (from Ospreys), Rhodri Williams (from Scarlets), Luke Arscott (from Bath), Tusi Pisi (from Sunwolves), Jordan Williams (from Scarlets), Nick Fenton-Wells (from Bedford Blues), Jordan Crane (from Leicester Tigers), Thretton Palamo (from Saracens), Jon Fisher (from Northampton Saints), Soane Tonga'uiha (from Oyonnax), Will Hurrell (from Doncaster Knights), Giorgi Nemsadze (from Tarbes), Ryan Bevington (from Ospreys), Jason Woodward (from Hurricanes), Shane Geraghty (from London Irish), Dan Tuohy (from Ulster), Siale Piutau (from Yamaha Jubilo), Alby Mathewson (from Western Force).

OUTS: Matthew Morgan (to Cardiff Blues), Marco Mama (to Worcester Warriors), Dwayne Peel (retired), Craig Hampson (to Wasps), George Watkins (to Jersey Reds), Ellis Genge (to Leicester Tigers), Tommaso Benvenuti (to Benetton Treviso), Josh Ovens (released), Darren Hudson (released), James Stephenson (released), Auguy Slowik (to Worcester), BJ Edwards (to Cardiff Blues).

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EXETER

INS: Greg Holmes (from Queensland Reds), Ollie Devoto (from Bath), Dave Dennis (from NSW Waratahs), Lachlan Turner (from Toulon), Niko Matawalu (from Bath), Matt Kvesic (from Gloucester).

OUTS: Adam Hughes (to Dragons), Josh Jones (to Salford Red Devils), Alex Brown (to USA Perpignan), Brett Sturgess (to Ampthill), Jerry Sexton (to London Irish), Chrysander Botha (released), Byron McGuigan (released), Lewis Stevenson (to Connacht).

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GLOUCESTER

INS: Lewis Ludlow (promoted from academy), Matt Scott (from Edinburgh), Motu Matu'u (from Hurricanes), Josh Hohneck (from Highlanders), Tom Denton (from Leinster), Andy Symons (from Worcester Warriors), Dan Thomas (promoted from academy), Ollie Thorley (promoted from academy), Cameron Orr (from Greater Sydney Rams), Salesi Ma'afu (from Cardiff Blues), Carl Fearns (from Lyon), Owen Williams (from Leicester Tigers), Fraser Balmain (from Leicester Tigers), Val Rapava Ruskin (from Worcester Warriors).

OUTS: Elliott Stooke (to Bath), Steve McColl (to Yorkshire Carnegie), Luke Cole (to Rotherham Titans), Tom Hicks (to Rotherham Titans), James Gibbons (to Ealing Trailfinders), Rob Cook (retired), Bill Meakes (to Western Force), Steph Reynolds (released), Dan Murphy (to Harlequins), Nick Wood (retired), James Hudson (retired), Nicky Thomas (to Scarlets), James Hook (Ospreys), Matt Kvesic (to Exeter Chiefs).

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HARLEQUINS

INS: Charlie Mulchrone (from Worcester Warriors), Ruaridh Jackson (from Wasps), Aaron Morris (from Saracens), Mark Reddish (from Highlanders), George Naoupu (from Connacht), Cameron Holstein (from Pau), Alofa Alofa (from La Rochelle), Dan Murphy (from Gloucester), Renaldo Bothma (from Bulls), Elia Elia (from Crusaders).

OUTS: Kieran Treadwell (to Ulster), Tito Tebaldi (to Benetton Treviso), Ben Botica (to Montpellier), Beau Robinson (released), Nick Easter (retired), Ollie Lindsay-Hague (released).

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LEICESTER TIGERS

INS: Matt Toomua (from Brumbies), JP Pietersen (from Sharks), Tom Brady (from Sale Sharks), George McGuigan (from Newcastle Falcons), Pat Cilliers (from Montpellier), Luke Hamilton (from Agen), Ellis Genge (from Bristol).

OUTS: Leonardo Ghiraldini (to Toulouse), Tommy Bell (to London Irish), Laurence Pearce (to Sale Sharks), Vereniki Goneva (to Newcastle Falcons), Miles Benjamin (retired), Seremaia Bai (retired), Sebastian De Chaves (to London Irish), Michael van Vuuren (to Bath), Jean de Villiers (retired/released), George Tresidder (to Rotherham Titans), Jordan Crane (to Bristol), Tiziano Pasquali (to Benetton Treviso), Matías Agüero (to Provence), Christian Loamanu (to Provence), Niall Morris (retired), Sam Yawayawa (to Nottingham), Opeti Fonua (to Newcastle Falcons), Owen Williams (to Gloucester), Fraser Balmain (to Gloucester).

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NEWCASTLE FALCONS

INS: Joshua Chisanga (from Kenya Sevens), Vereniki Goneva (from Leicester Tigers), Sam Lockwood (from Jersey), Sam Egerton (from England Sevens), Harrison Orr (from Ealing Trailfinders), Joel Hodgson (from Yorkshire Carnegie), Ben Sowrey (from Worcester Warriors), Evan Olmstead (from London Scottish), Nick Civetta (from RC I Medicei), Andrew Davidson (from Glasgow Hawks), Kyle Cooper (from Sharks), Tyrone Holmes (from Glasgow Warriors), Opeti Fonua (from Leicester Tigers), Dominic Waldouck (from Ohio Aviators), David Wilson (from Bath), Fred Burdon (from Yorkshire Carnegie).

OUTS: George McGuigan (to Leicester Tigers), Todd Clever (released), Andy Goode (retired), Rob Hawkins (retired), Richard Mayhew (to Yorkshire Carnegie), Joshua Furno (to Zebre), Kensuke Hatakeyama (to Suntory Sungoliath), Giovanbattista Venditti (to Zebre), Kane Thompson (to Manawatu), Eric Fry (to Sacramento Express), Ruki Tipuna (to Bay of Plenty), Jamie Booth (to Manawatu), Scott MacLeod (retired), Gonzalo Tiesi (retired), Alesana Tuilagi (released), Anitelea Tuilagi (released), Michael Cusack (to Yorkshire Carnegie), Taione Vea (retired).

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NORTHAMPTON SAINTS

INS: Louis Picamoles (from Toulouse), Campese Ma'afu (from Provence), Charlie Clare (from Bedford Blues), Nic Groom (from Stormers), Juan Pablo Estelles (from Club Atletico del Rosario), Api Ratuniyarawa (from Agen), Nafi Tuitavake (from Narbonne), David Ribbans (from Western Province).

OUTS: Alex Corbisiero (sabbatical), Matt Williams (to Worcester Warriors), Danny Hobbs-Awoyemi (to London Irish), Patrick Howard (to Dragons), Kahn Fotuali'i (to Bath), Jon Fisher (to Bristol), Calum Clark (to Saracens), Ethan Waller (to Worcester Warriors).

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SALE SHARKS

INS: Rob Webber (from Bath), Laurence Pearce (from Leicester Tigers), Kieran Longbottom (from Saracens), Josh Charnley (from Wigan Warriors), AJ MacGinty (from Connacht), Dan Mugford (from Nottingham), Mike Phillips (from Racing 92), Halani Aulika (from London Irish), Lou Reed (from Cardiff Blues), Byron McGuigan (from Exeter Chiefs), Curtis Langdon (from London Irish), Denny Solomona (from Castleford Tigers).

OUTS: Vadim Cobilas (to Bordeaux Begles), Tommy Taylor (to Wasps), Danny Cipriani (to Wasps), Tom Brady (to Leicester Tigers), Phil Mackenzie (to San Diego Breakers), Nick Macleod (to Dragons), Joe Ford (to Yorkshire Carnegie), Chris Cusiter (retired), Mark Easter (retired), Viliami Fihaki (to Edinburgh Rugby).

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SARACENS

INS: Schalk Burger (from Stormers), Alex Lozowski (from Wasps), Mark Flanagan (from Bedford Blues), Sean Maitland (from London Irish), Vincent Koch (from Stormers), Andrew Fenby (from London Irish), Nick Skelton (from Waratahs), Liam Williams (from Scarlets), Calum Clark (from Northampton Saints).

OUTS: Charlie Hodgson (retired), Rhys Gill (to Cardiff Blues), Catalin Fercu (to Timisoara Saracens), Kieran Longbottom (to Sale Sharks), Dave Porecki (to London Irish), Jacques Burger (retired), Aaron Morris (to Harlequins), Thretton Palamo (to Bristol), Biyi Alo (to Worcester Warriors), Ben Ransom (to London Irish), Alistair Hargreaves (retired), Hayden Smith (to Esher), Chris Ashton (to Toulon).

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WASPS

INS: Marty Moore (from Leinster), Tommy Taylor (from Sale Sharks), Danny Cipriani (from Sale Sharks), Tom Cruse (from London Irish), Guy Armitage (from London Welsh), Craig Hampson (from Bristol), Tom Woolstencroft (from Bath), Marcus Garratt (from Cornish Pirates), Kurtley Beale (from NSW Waratahs), Matt Symons (from London Irish), Nick de Luca (from Biarritz), Kyle Eastmond (from Bath), Willie le Roux (from Sharks).

OUTS: Charles Piutau (to Ulster), Alex Lozowski (to Saracens), George Smith (to Suntory Sungoliath/Queensland Reds), Jamie Stevenson (to London Scottish), Ed Shervington (retired), Ruaridh Jackson (to Harlequins), Bradley Davies (to Ospreys), James Downey (retired), Ben Jacobs (retired), Carlo Festuccia (to Zebre), Andrea Masi (retired), Lorenzo Cittadini (to Bayonne), Sailosi Tagicakibau (released), James Cannon (to Connacht).

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WORCESTER WARRIORS

INS: Ben Te'o (from Leinster), Jackson Willison (from Grenoble), Will Spencer (from Bath), Marco Mama (from Bristol), Perry Humphreys (promoted from Academy), Dewald Potgieter (from Yamaha Júbilo), Matt Williams (from Northampton Saints), Francois Hougaard (from South Africa Sevens), Biyi Alo (from Saracens), Alafoti Fa'osiliva (from Bath), Michael Dowsett (from Brumbies), Wilhelm van der Sluys (from Western Province), Auguy Slowik (from Bristol), Connor Braid (from Canada Sevens), Chris Vui (from North Harbour), Joe Taufete'e (from San Diego Breakers), Ethan Waller (from Northampton Saints).

OUTS: Darren O'Shea (to Munster), Charlie Mulchrone (to Harlequins), Jean-Baptiste Bruzulier (to Nevers), Ben Sowrey (to Newcastle Falcons), Heath Stevens (to London Welsh), Joe Rees (to Rotherham Titans), Andy Symons (to Gloucester), Alex Grove (to Birmingham Moseley), Ravai Fatiaki (released), Dan George (released), Matt Gilbert (to Hartpury College RFC), Dan Sanderson (to Yorkshire Carnegie), Sam Smith (retired), Val Rapava Ruskin (to Gloucester).