Should Morgan and Lake depart, the uncertainty in crisis-stricken Welsh rugby will have been a major factor in their decisions.

Ospreys have said publicly they want to keep the pair, who are close friends, but the two players are unsure what the future holds in their homeland.

Ospreys supporters were told in September Morgan had warned the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) he would leave professional domestic rugby in Wales if Ospreys ceased to exist.

The WRU announced in October that it planned to reduce the number of professional men’s sides in Wales from four to three.

Welsh rugby’s governing body confirmed it proposes to grant three licences for men’s clubs.

There will be one in Cardiff, one in the east and one in the west, which is expected to result in a straight survival fight between Swansea-based Ospreys and Scarlets in Llanelli.

Another option that has now emerged is Ospreys owners, Y11 Sport & Media, taking over WRU-owned Cardiff, which could produce the desired number of three professional sides.

One of the main purposes of the planned reduction in sides in Welsh rugby is to concentrate Welsh talent into three squads.

But if Lake and Morgan leave, they will be joining top Welsh players like Williams, Louis Rees-Zammit and Dafydd Jenkins who play in England.

Wales head coach Steve Tandy selected 13 players in the autumn series who plied their club trade in England or France.