The English newspaper The Guardian is reporting that the Gloucester rugby club is deep in negotiations with the All Blacks, Highlanders and Southland halfback Jimmy Cowan, with the 30-year-old set to join the Premiership side mid-year.
The Guardian says Gloucester's Scottish international No.9 Rory Lawson is injured and out of contract and talking to other clubs, so the club's chasing the 30-year-old hard and a move in the English summer is likely - especially given Cowan is struggling to keep his place in the starting XV for the Highlanders and finished the World Cup as the All Blacks' third-choice halfback behind Piri Weepu and Andy Ellis.
Cowan's been starting from the bench for the Highlanders with the 23-year-old New Zealand Maori representative Aaron Smith showing huge improvement for coach Jamie Joseph - who's also the Maori coach.
Gloucester's set to lose the experience of players such as Mike Tindall, Tom Voyce and Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu and the paper says the experience of a 51-cap All Black would be invaluable at Gloucester next season.
