GLOUCESTER are targeting Leicester fly-half Owen Williams as a key signing for next season, but much will depend on where, if anywhere, Bath and England stand-off George Ford moves to at the end of this season.

The Cherry and Whites are losing two big names after this current campaign in Welsh fly-half James Hook and current club and Scotland captain, scrum-half Greig Laidlaw.

And a move for 24-year-old Williams, who has been at Leicester since 2013 after switching from Welsh club Llanelli, is all the more possible due to Ford’s unrest at current club Bath.

Leicester are trying to get 23-year-old Ford, who has vied for the national number ten jersey with Saracens Owen Farrell in the last couple of years, back to Welford Road where he started his career and became the youngest ever player to play in the Aviva Premiership when aged just under 17.

But whether Williams makes the move to Kingsholm will depend on who Ford leaves Bath to join, with Sale Sharks said to be the favourites to get the stand-off to go there.

Ford, who has a contract at The Rec until 2017/18 season, is believed to have wanted to leave Bath since his father, Mike, was sacked at the end of last season. Bath and their multi-millionaire owner Bruce Craig, however, are playing hard-ball over their star player's switch.

Director of rugby Todd Blackadder has previously said they would not stand in Ford’s way to switch to any other side. But it is believed, they will not let Ford go to Leicester.

Yet, should the England ace manage to rejoin the Tigers, it would leave Williams, who has distinguished himself at Welford Road, as a probably the reserve stand-off behind Ford.

When Hook and Laidlaw hang up their boots at Gloucester, it will leave them without an experienced number ten in Hook and a top goal-kicker, which is one of Laidlaw’s greatest assets.

The Cherry and Whites have Billy Burns as another stand-off in the squad along with 20-year-old highly-rated Mat Protheroe, who is a raw talent with little first-team experience. They have also played other stars out of position at times in the stand-off role, most notably England centre Billy Twelvetrees.

But it would be a big coup for Gloucester director of rugby David Humphreys to seal the deal on an experienced Premiership performer like Williams who displayed how good he is by showing nerves of steel to nail a match-winning 52-metre penalty just before Christmas that gave Leicester a stunning 18-16 European Champions Cup victory over Irish giants Munster.

Gloucester are also believed to be in the market for Worcester Warriors prop Val Rapava Ruskin.