Henry Pollock has been told he has an open offer to join a new rugby sevens competition after his ambitions of playing at the next Olympic Games in 2028 were revealed.
Pollock's agent Eddie Hearn has revealed that the Northampton Saints back-rower told him he wants to play in the sevens competition at the Games in Los Angeles in two years' time, with the 21-year-old reportedly one of several England internationals being eyed as potential GB Sevens converts.
Open offer from Ultimate Sevens
Marcus Smith, Tommy Freeman, Henry Arundell and Noah Caluori have also been linked with making the switch for the Games, but Pollock has now been told that he is welcome to join a new competition for "a bit of sevens preparation".
Barney Pascall, the managing director of new tournament Ultimate Sevens, made the offer to the British & Irish Lions tourist ahead of the September launch of the competition, which is taking place in Madrid, Cardiff, Biarritz and London across four consecutive weeks.
Pascall's invitation
"Should Henry want to get involved and do a bit of sevens preparation this year or next, that offer remains open," he told Daily Mail Sport. "It's a great story that high-profile players in the sport want to play sevens."
"If Eddie wants to call, I'll be ready," Pascall added, as he explained why he has invested tens of millions of pounds in the new competition.
"This is about elevating rugby sevens," he continued. "We've been incredibly focused on being complementary to the ecosystem and there's a reason for that. It's because we can be."
Pollock's future and Olympic dream
The offer comes amid much speculation about Pollock's future, which was sparked by comments made by Hearn during an interview with the Telegraph earlier this month.
The boxing promoter - who signed Pollock to his Matchroom Talent Agency earlier this year - issued Northampton with a stunning ultimatum as he told them they must recognise the flanker's commercial worth and make him a "seven-figure player" if they want to keep him at the club.
Hearn's remarks have put clubs around the world on alert, while Pollock has also been linked with a switch to rugby league or Mike Tindall's R360 rebel competition. It has since been clarified by the agent that his client is keen to stay at Northampton, but his Olympic dream is still very much alive.
"When I sat down with Henry Pollock, everything that he said was about legacy," he told The Independent. "The first thing he said was, 'I don't want to leave Northampton'. The other weird thing he said was, 'I really want to be in the Olympics'.
"I work in boxing and for a lot of these guys, it's about making the biggest payday as soon as possible. He could leave and go and make a huge payday somewhere else.
"But he loves the club. He believes they can win the championship again, and lives 10 minutes away," Hearn added. "He really wants to stay. He's a very well educated guy. He's a really smart kid and he's got a good head."
