England star David Willey will rejoin Northamptonshire seven years after leaving for Yorkshire

England all-rounder David Willey is to quit Yorkshire and rejoin former club Northamptonshire for next season.

Willey, 32, returns to Wantage Road seven years after moving north to further his international ambitions.

The signing of one of the country’s premier white-ball players is a real coup for the midlands county and is an interesting one, not least because he agreed a new three-year deal under the previous coaching regime at Headingley last autumn but did not complete the paperwork.

He then began this season with Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Indian Premier League and was discussing a similar contract with the Headingley hierarchy, led by managing director Darren Gough, on his return to Leeds.

Willey has a strong relationship with head coach Ottis Gibson, having previously worked with him at international level and more recently at Multan Sultans in the Pakistan Super League, and is the club’s captain in Twenty20 cricket.

But the lure of returning across Division One of the County Championship and ‘home’ appears to have been too strong for a player who is currently with England in the Netherlands for a one-day series.

The developments arguably highlight why Yorkshire last week made a move for another England player in Moeen Ali, who is out of contract at Worcestershire at the end of this season.

Ali, 35 later this week, is centrally-contracted and the club would therefore not be required to pay his wages – in the short term at least.

However, like Willey, Ali could favour a return to a former club with Warwickshire keen on taking him back to Edgbaston.