Emilio Gay will leave Northamptonshire at the end of the season after turning down the club's offer of a new contract. It is understood he will sign for Durham.
Gay, 24, a talented batter who came through the talent pathway at Wantage Road from the age of 15, made his first-class debut for the county in 2019 and went on to establish himself in Northamptonshire's top order.
The left-hander boasts a solid first-class record, averaging 35.71 from 47 red-ball matches, with 19 fifty-plus scores including six centuries. His form has stepped up a level in 2024, with 860 runs at 61.42 in Division Two of the County Championship - a tally boosted by a career-best 261 against Middlesex in April. Gay has also represented Northants in 39 white-ball matches.
"After the most important, and memorable decade of my life, this season will be my last with Northamptonshire," Gay said in a statement released on Thursday. "Northamptonshire enabled me to fulfil my childhood dream, to become a professional cricket player.
"Thank you to everyone at NCCC. Hopefully I will make the club proud. Over the last decade at Northants there have been so many people who have helped me progress. I will never be able to thank all my team-mates, the coaches, staff and fans enough. Northants will always have a special place in my heart. Thank you."
Northamptonshire put on record that they were "naturally disappointed" to lose a homegrown they had nurtured, and wished Gay well for the next chapter of his career.
John Sadler, the club's head coach, said: "From early we always believed Emilio would become a high-class batsman. He has a great work ethic and this is one of the reasons his game has developed so rapidly over the last two years. It is a shame that Emilio's future doesn't lie with us, but he is very ambitious and believes a fresh challenge will be the best thing for him on his quest to play international cricket. We wish him well and will all enjoy watching his career unfold."
Durham's acquisition of Gay, regarded as one of the most naturally gifted batters in the country, is a shrewd bit of business and would come alongside the signing of Will Rhodes, who will join from Warwickshire after turning down the offer of a contract extension.