Springbok captain Siya Kolisi's highly-publicised departure from Western Province is expected to be confirmed in the coming days, with the Sharks still his likeliest destination.
The 29-year-old World Cup hero, who has been on Western Province's books since 2010, has been heavily linked with a move to Kings Park ever since American investors MVM Holdings acquired a controlling stake in the Durban-based franchise in January.
President of international sports agency Roc Nation, Michael Yormark, is one of the investors in the MVM/Sharks deal and that is where the Kolisi link effectively comes from.
The Franchise Cup - a domestic tournament that will see the Sharks, Stormers, Lions and Bulls prepare for their first Rainbow Cup against Europe's PRO14 sides - is expected to get underway on 27 February .
It means that, following the recently-completed Currie Cup season, the sides are starting to get back into the swing of things.
Western Province will resume training next week, but with Kolisi expected to be in Durban before the Franchise Cup begins, they are likely to resume without their skipper.
Kolisi's contract at WP was due to run until the end of October, but Sport24 understands that WP are satisfied with the terms agreed to allow him to leave earlier.
Sport24 further understands that Sharks' negotiations with Kolisi are ongoing.
They obviously need to be completed before the Sharks can make an official announcement, but they are hopeful that everything will go smoothly.
It was reported this week that a fee of R1 million would be paid to WP for Kolisi's early release, but the Sharks have since denied that figure.
Since captaining the Springboks to World Cup glory in Japan in 2019, Kolisi has become one of international sport's most recognisable figures.