Bristol Bears outbid for former academy star Genge - reports

Former Bristol Bears academy member Ellis Genge has been making big strides in his development over the last few years since joining Leicester Tigers, something which culminated in the loosehead prop being included in England's recent World Cup squad.

The 24-year-old has made a name for himself with his bullocking runs with the ball in hand, as well as the energy and tenacity of his performances. His scrummaging ability has also made considerable leaps under the guidance of Boris Stankovich, Leicester's scrum coach.

Genge left Bristol in 2016, citing that he needed to get out of the city due to off-field issues, and what was initially a loan with Leicester was made into a permanent move a few months later. He is currently in his fourth full season with the East Midlands club.

It is now a contract year for Genge and his former club have been heavily linked with a move for the prop, with director of rugby Pat Lam keen to build a strong English and Bristolian core to the side as they re-establish themselves as a Gallagher Premiership club.

That desire to bring Genge back to the south-west will not come to fruition next year, as www.bristolpost.co.uk are reporting that Leicester have outbid the ambitious Bears for Genge's signature due to Lam being unwilling to match the offer on the table from Tigers.

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Bristol have already secured the signing of Semi Radradra as a marquee player for the 2020/21 season and they recently were able to come to terms with Charles Piutau on a two-year extension.

Genge, who now has 14 England caps to his name and was a standout for the under-20 national side, is one of the most important forwards at Welford Road with Leicester having come in for plenty of criticism for the diminishing effectiveness of their pack.

Were they to lose Genge next summer, those problems would only be compounded despite the rumoured imminent arrival of coach Steve Borthwick from England.

Tigers currently sit eleventh in the Gallagher Premiership and despite Saracens' 35-point deduction, they are only now 22 points ahead of the Londoners with just five games of the season played.

With the club's fortunes seemingly fading fast on the pitch, securing the future of a star player like Genge would provide some much-needed positive news for the former giants of English rugby.

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