Northampton boss Phil Dowson says he is relaxed about boxing supremo Eddie Hearn’s ambition to secure Saints star Henry Pollock a contract extension worth a million pound a year.

Hearn, who signed a deal to secure commercial deals for Pollock in April, told the Daily Telegraph, external earlier this year that 21-year-old is “a seven-figure player” who “cannot stay at this club on the money he’s on”.

Pollock’s current contract is thought to be worth £150,000 a year and expires in summer 2027.

“Eddie Hearn has a job to do, and that is to promote his client and ask for more money for his client,” said Dowson. “He’s doing both of those very effectively.”

“We’ve said we want to publicise and grow the game and he has the ability to do that.

“[Contract negotiations with Pollock] are going well. We are still pushing it through.

“People have gone straight to the million-pound remark, but the other thing Eddie Hearn said is that Henry wants to win stuff, to stay at Saints and to play with our group of players. He wants to win the World Cup.

“I embrace that. I am all for that. The appetite is for him to stay. Now, we’ve got to find a happy medium. We really want to keep him, he really wants to stay, and that’s a great start.”

All Prem clubs are restricted to a £6.4m salary cap, with another £1.4m available in credits to incentivise promoting club academy prospects, compensate for absence on England duty and cover injuries.

One player’s wages can also sit outside the salary cap, an exemption that allows Bath to balance the books while also paying top earner Finn Russell a reported £1m a year.

However, despite Pollock’s marketability, it is rare for clubs to use the ‘marquee’ slot on their wage bill for a back row.

Players moving between Prem clubs are also unable to be nominated as their new employers’ excluded player until they have played for them for two seasons, restricting his ability to demand sky-high wages elsewhere in the league.

Despite winning two titles in the past three seasons and reaching the Champions Cup final in 2025, Northampton have kept a tight rein on pay.

The latest salary cap report, covering the 2024-25 season,, external showed they were only the sixth-highest spenders in the 10-team Prem.

Fly-half Fin Smith, who extended his own deal at Franklin’s Gardens last year, jokingly backed up his team-mate’s demands.

“I think he’s worth it,” said Smith.

“He told me to say that, but I think it’s hard to put a value on a player like that.

“You probably can’t answer how much he does for shirt sales and putting bums on seats and things like that.

“But, hopefully he doesn’t get a million quid. I’ll be a bit annoyed about that.

“Maybe next time.”

Smith also told Rugby Union Weekly that Pollock’s trip to visit Hearn’s yacht on the French Riveria this summer had provided fodder for the defending champions’ group chat.

“We were booking flights for our pre-season tour in Sri Lanka and Dowse [director of rugby Phil Dowson] was saying, ‘can we go on your private jet please, Pollock?’,” said Smith.

“He got a bit of grief.

“I think he could definitely go to another club and get close to a million pounds but knowing him, he’s desperate to win more than anyone I’ve really come across. That is absolutely his priority.

“There’s all these theatrics and stuff that go on off pitch, but he’s more driven than most of the people I’ve come across.”

Northampton begin their Prem title defence at home to big-spending Newcastle Red Bulls on Friday 25 September.