Wales fly-half Callum Sheedy is close to signing for home-city club Cardiff from Bristol for the 2024-25 season.
Sheedy is out of contract at the end of this season and would not be able to play for his national side if he did not move to Wales.
The 28-year-old has not played for Wales since head coach Warren Gatland returned for a second stint in charge in December 2022.
Sheedy was part of the Wales side that won the 2021 Six Nations title.
Sheedy, who also qualifies for Ireland and England, made his international debut in 2020 and has won 16 Wales caps, with his last Test appearance coming in the Six Nations home defeat by Italy in March 2022.
Players based outside Wales must have at least 25 caps to be available for selection by Gatland.
The minimum cap limit, lowered from 60 in February 2023, was introduced in a bid to keep the top players at the four Welsh regions and therefore give Wales’ head coach more preparation time with his squad.
That means Sheedy must play for one of the four Welsh professional sides next season if he wants to continue his international career.
There are no guarantees Gatland will pick Sheedy after he was left out of the current Six Nations squad, with Scarlets duo Sam Costelow and Ioan Lloyd and Dragons’ Cai Evans chosen as fly-half options.
Sheedy has been battling a minor knee injury but Gatland said fitness issues were not the reason the Bristol player was not selected for this year’s tournament.
Gatland is looking to fill the void left by the retired Dan Biggar and unavailable Gareth Anscombe, while Cardiff are hoping for more number 10 resources following the departures of Jarrod Evans and Rhys Priestland last season.
South African fly-half Tinus de Beer has started all 13 games in this campaign after signing in the summer of 2023.
Sheedy was born in Cardiff but has only played professional rugby for Bristol after leaving Wales as a teenager to attend Millfield School in Somerset.
