Maro Itoje, 31, with 102 England caps, has agreed a new deal with Saracens, The Guardian reported on 21 October. The club is thereby turning aside Top 14 interest, in which Perpignan and Bordeaux had been mentioned.

The contract signed in 2024 was due to expire after next year’s Rugby World Cup. The new term, the Guardian believes, would run to 2029. In the material consulted, the club has not published an official duration.

Brendan Venter said: “He is staying. He has agreed with the owner.” The Telegraph, in the same window, quotes him identically. This is a club agreement, not an announced transfer to France.

By staying in the Premiership, Itoje keeps his England eligibility. The Rugby Football Union does not, as a rule, pick players based overseas. Earlier the same day the BBC reported that talks were under way and that Midi-Olympique had flagged interest from Bordeaux-Bègles and Perpignan.

Itoje first played for Saracens in 2013. He was rested for the summer Tests against South Africa, Fiji and Argentina. The Guardian writes that he has made more Test appearances than any other player since his 2016 debut and that last month he had his first full pre-season with the club since 2014.

The Telegraph adds that Venter spoke of Itoje returning as captain for next month’s matches against Australia, Japan and New Zealand. That remains a squad forecast, not a federation call-up published in these articles.

2029 also coincides, again according to the Telegraph, with a Lions tour of New Zealand. A calendar overlap is not a selection. Until the club issues a statement with contract dates, the facts are what Venter said and what the two newsrooms reported.

Image: Ankomster, Allianz Park / Barnet Copthall west stand, 16 February 2013, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; the stadium in 2013, not Wednesday announcement.

Sources consulted: Maro Itoje seals England future by agreeing new deal with Saracens - The Guardian, 21 October 2026; Maro Itoje snubs France and extends England career to next Lions tour - The Telegraph, 21 October 2026.