Mercer joined Gloucester from Montpellier last year with the aim of adding to his two England caps, but the No.8 has found himself frozen out of the international set-up.
He is contracted to Gloucester for another season, but Top 14 clubs, including Toulon, have been circling and the carrot of international rugby is no longer dangling in front of him having failed to make the A squad.
There has been no transfer market to speak of in the professional era, but Gloucester’s director of rugby George Skivington said that was changing.
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