Scarlets insist they are not chasing Saints star North

North, who moved to Northampton from the Welsh outfit in 2013, will reach the end of his current three-year deal at Franklin’s Gardens next summer.

And Pivac had last month said: “We would welcome back any Scarlets player of that calibre out there who wants to come back.

“We will certainly want to talk to any player from the region who has left but wants to return to Wales.”

However, Saints boss Jim Mallinder stated last weekend that he was ‘very, very confident’ of keeping North at the Gardens.

And Pivac has now told the BBC: “George North is media only, so don’t ask that question every week because we’re not chasing him.”

Mallinder’s bullish belief that North will remain a Northampton player would suggest a deal is close to being done or, is in fact, already agreed.

When asked about the 23-year-old’s links with Scarlets earlier this month, Mallinder said: “I wouldn’t see any reason why any of the players would want to leave Northampton Saints.

“It’s a good club, we’re a good family club, we play a good brand of rugby in a lovely part of England.”