Brown has scored five tries in 55 appearances for Glasgow

Glasgow Warriors have confirmed that Scotland flanker Kelly Brown will be joining Guinness Premiership club Saracens in the summer.

The news came as the Magners League leaders announced that back-row colleague John Barclay has extended his contract by two years.

Brown said: "I will hopefully leave the club following their highest-ever finish in the Magners League.

"I look forward with excitement to the new challenges ahead with Saracens."

The 26-year-old's arrival with compensate for the loss of Wikus van Heerden, the South African back-row forward having announced last week that he will leave Saracens at the end of the season.

Kelly is in a rich vein of form at the moment and will be a loss to us Glasgow coach Sean Lineen

Brown joined Warriors from Border Reivers in 2007 and has gone on to make 55 appearances, scoring five tries.

Glasgow are already due to lose fly-half Dan Parks to Cardiff Blues in the summer and Warriors coach Sean Lineen admitted that Brown's departure would be a further blow to the club.

"Kelly is in a rich vein of form at the moment and will be a loss to us," he said.

"We had hoped to retain his services but understand his reasons for moving south.

"Even though Kelly is moving on, I know he'll give everything to help Glasgow win something this season."

Lineen was, however, pleased to retain Barclay, who joined the Warriors straight from school aged 17-year-old and is now in his sixth season with the club.

Barclay has been with Warriors since he was 17

"John has been around for a while now but is still very young, so I'm delighted that he's decided to secure his future with Glasgow," said the coach.

"I've seen him grow into a classy international player and it says a lot about the character of the man that he wants to stay in Glasgow and win."

Barclay is two appearances away from making his 100th for Warriors, during which he has scored 11 tries, and was looking forward to more success with the Firhill-based outfit.

"The club is definitely going in the right direction and very soon we will have an outstanding training facility in Scotstoun that will put us right up there with some of the best clubs in Europe," he said.

"I have great friends and family in Glasgow and we have a very settled squad here at the Warriors. I feel the club can go on and win the Magners League, if not this year then in the very near future."

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