The Ospreys are interested in retaining George North and other high-profile international players but fear this may not be possible as Welsh rugby budgets continue to shrink.

The Wales center has been linked with a move to Provence Rugby this week, with reports in France suggesting the 31-year-old has already visited the club’s Pro D2 facilities.

Despite being a secondary team in France, Provence have a considerable budget (one of the biggest in Pro D2) and the Ospreys may struggle to match any offer.

Ospreys coach Toby Booth is wary of the challenges facing Welsh rugby but still wants to keep North.

“We understand that with good players people will be interested,” Booth said. “The Welsh market will be interesting for big-spending teams because they know we can’t afford to keep big players on big wages.

“We have to downsize accordingly. “That’s not to say we don’t want to retain George and we’ll do everything we can to try and retain the best players we can in the region, but it’s a similar situation that will last.” year.

“We have a budget of £5.2m this season and it will be reduced to £4.5m next season so every region is still looking down and I don’t think it will be the last.”

Many members of Wales’ World Cup squad are out of contract at the end of the season, with players such as Tomos Williams, Gareth Davies, Rio Dyer, Nicky Smith, Mason Grady and Kieran Hardy set to expire.