Sebastien Chabal has terminating his contract with Sale to return to France. © Getty Images

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Players/Officials: Sebastien Chabal

Tournaments/Tours: Guinness Premiership

Teams: Sale

Sebastien Chabal is set to make a premature departure from Sale Sharks for personal reasons.

The popular France No 8 has discussed with Philippe Saint-Andre, the Sale director of rugby, the possibility of terminating his contract with the Stockport-based club early because he is missing his family, The Times reported.

Chabal is contracted to the Guinness Premiership club until 2011, but his daughter is studying in France and his family have been there since the summer. "There is no problem with him on a sporting level," Saint-Andre said. "It's a question of problems outside the game, an estrangement from his family which is weighing too heavily on him."

Chabal, who has 39 caps with France, joined Sale from Bourgoin-Jallieu and made his debut against the Leicester Tigers in 2004.