Sale Sharks fly-half Danny Cipriani has agreed a deal to re-join former club Wasps from next season.
The 28-year-old had a season left to run on his existing Sale deal, but has chosen to exercise a break clause and return to Wasps - a decision which has infuriated Sale director of rugby Steve Diamond, according to Sky sources.
In the past few weeks Cipriani came within a whisker of joining Harlequins. However, uncertainty over who will replace Conor O'Shea at the end of the season led him to choose a return to Wasps instead.
The deal for Cipriani to return to Wasps is worth £300,000 per season and is for three years.
Cipriani said: "I'm excited about returning to Wasps next season. For me, it really does feel like coming home.
"In the professional era, players naturally move clubs more frequently than they used to, but I still feel such a strong connection with Wasps. It's where I learned my trade, alongside incredible players like Lawrence Dallaglio, Joe Worsley, Alex King, Fraser Waters, Josh Lewsey and Paul Sackey.
"There's something about Wasps which always draws you in. 'Once a Wasp, always a Wasp' is more than just a saying when you've been part of the club.
"It's brilliant to see how the club has re-built over the past couple of seasons. The potential of the squad that [director of rugby] Dai [Young] has developed is really exciting and I have been impressed by the ambition Wasps has shown since Derek Richardson took over and stabilised things.
"I'm really looking forward to playing alongside guys I started my career with, like James Haskell, Joe Simpson, Christian Wade and Elliot Daly, in a squad that loves to play attacking, expansive rugby."
Cipriani also sent out a message to Sale fans and Diamond on Twitter, thanking them for their support during his time with the club.
"This is the hardest decision I've ever had to make. I've loved every part of being at Sale and learnt so much on and off the field which has played a huge part in me growing up," Cipriani said.
"When coming back from Australia, choosing Sale was the best thing I could have done. It's been an amazing journey and one that isn't finished. I'll be giving everything I have for the rest of the season.
"It's such a wonderful club and Dimes [Diamond] makes it work. I have so much respect for what he does."
Cipriani, who has 14 England caps, left Wasps for Australian Super Rugby franchise Melbourne Rebels in 2011, but returned to England to join Sale a year later.
The fly-half has worked hard to re-establish himself in the England team since returning to Sale but was left out of Eddie Jones' recent Six Nations squad as he remains behind George Ford and Owen Farrell in the pecking order for the No 10 shirt.
Stuart Lancaster took Cipriani on the summer tour to New Zealand in 2014 and he featured in the 2015 Six Nations and World Cup warm-up matches, but he was omitted from England's final squad for the global showpiece in the autumn.
Wasps' director of rugby Young said he was delighted to be able to beat off the competition and bring Cipriani back to the club.
Young said: "We have always been keen for Danny to return to Wasps and I'm really pleased that our Wasps' fans, many of whom supported Danny as a young lad here, will be able to see him in a Wasps' shirt again.
"Everyone knows how talented a player Danny is and how much his game has developed since he made such an impact for England at a young age. As well as his obvious attacking attributes, Danny has matured as a player and controls the game well as a 10.
"At 28, there is still plenty more to come from him, so we are looking forward to seeing the contribution he will make in a Wasps' shirt, alongside our other talented fly halves, in the exciting backline we have."