All Blacks inside centre Luke McAlister has claimed he is "seriously considering" a move to Sale — but insists no deal has yet been done with the English club.

Reports have suggested the 23-year-old has agreed to join the Kiwi exodus to Europe with a move to the Manchester side, where his father is to take up a coaching role in the club's academy.

But while McAlister refuted suggestions a deal had been struck, he admitted he was on the verge of joining Sale after turning down an offer from French giants Toulouse.

He said: "I'm seriously considering Sale, seriously considering it. I haven't made a decision on what I am doing, which I will be making in the next couple of weeks."

If, as now seems likely, McAlister does join Sale, he will follow the likes of lock Chris Jack, prop Carl Hayman and scrum-half Byron Kelleher in an unprecedented influx of Kiwi talent into Europe after this autumn's World Cup.

McAlister revealed his interest in Sale stemmed from his childhood in the Manchester area, where he lived from the age of four to 13 while his father player rugby league for Oldham.

But he denied reports that his father, who is his manager, was part of any deal he made with the club.

He added: "You only get one shot at it and I want to make the most of my rugby career. I don't want to play in New Zealand for the rest of my life, I don't want to go overseas when I'm 30.

"I want to go when I'm younger to experience the world and different lifestyles. It's not something I've thought about overnight, it's taken a long time and I'm still thinking about it now."