Dwayne Peel insists he is happy playing for Sale Sharks - but has not ruled out returning to play in Wales next season.

The 72-cap Wales scrum-half joined the Guinness Premiership side from Llanelli Scarlets for the 2008-09 season.

"There's a lot of interest from people back home seeing whether I want to go home," Peel told BBC's Sport Wales.

Peel has been linked with a return to the Scarlets and their coach Nigel Davies says a return to Wales would be an "attractive proposal" for Peel.

The Scarlets are apparently keen to entice the 2005 British and Irish Lions star Peel back to Llanelli, where he would link up with his half-back partner and friend Stephen Jones.

Coach Davies has also been linked with Peel's Sharks team-mate Eifion Roberts, the 21 stone Wales prop, in a potential double swoop for Sale's Welshmen.

Davies would not confirm the Scarlets' interest but did admit: "As part of our development, we look to bring in quality year on year.

We look after Welsh players better here in Wales than they do outside of Wales so that will probably be an attractive proposal for Dwayne Scarlets coach Nigel Davies

"We took a big hit of clearing out a lot last year and part of our rebuilding process, we need top bring in quality players to supplement some of the development going on here."

Peel joined Sale, who are coached by former Wales captain Kingsley Jones, on a two-year deal with the option of another year and initially found himself rotated with England international Richard Wigglesworth as Sharks scrum-half.

That lack of first-team rugby contributed to Peel - a starter in all three Tests for the Lions in New Zealand - being omitted from Wales' initial squad for the 2009 Six Nations before an 11th hour call.

Wales head coach Warren Gatland has made it clear he favours picking Welsh-based players.

The Welsh Rugby Union has control over its players if they are in Wales and Gatland can call players into international training squads outside the designated International Rugby Board Window under the terms of Welsh rugby's new Participation Agreement.

So Peel had slipped behind Ospreys star Mike Phillips and Gareth Cooper, then of Gloucester but now back in Wales with Cardiff Blues, in Gatland's number nine pecking order.

"The move to Sale probably has been a difficult one for him," Davies told BBC Sport.

"It hasn't been an easy transition for him although I'm sure he has enjoyed it as it is a different environment and he has experienced playing rugby outside of Wales.

"But he will be keen to get back and I think Warren Gatland has made a clear statement about his Welsh squad to be based in Wales and the luxury that gives him in terms of releasing players.

"We look after Welsh players better here in Wales than they do outside of Wales so that will probably be an attractive proposal for Dwayne."

But while the Scarlets lead the chase to sign Peel, the other three Welsh regions - Cardiff Blues, Ospreys and Newport Gwent Dragons - are likely to be interested in a player of his calibre should he decide to return to play his domestic rugby in Wales.

But it is unlikely that the Carmarthen-born player would want to join any region other than the Scarlets, although he says he does feel settled in the north west of England.

606: DEBATE Where do you think Dwayne Peel's future lies?

Peel said: "Obviously I have an option to leave Sale at the end of the year but I'm happy here at the moment. I really haven't made a decision yet.

"Both myself and my girlfriend have settled well in the north of England. "People have been really welcoming - that's where I am at the moment."

Peel was left out of the 2009 Lions tour to South Africa because of injury and lack of form so he had to settle for a place on Wales' summer tour to North America - but needed a groin operation on his return to round off a miserable season.

That curtailed Peel's involvement at the start of this season but he battled back to claim the starting scrum-half spot for all four of Sale's Heineken Cup games so far.

His Sale side face Cardiff Blues on Saturday at the Cardiff City Stadium and Peel is set to start in the Sharks' number nine shirt.

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