Fairfax Media can reveal ACT Brumbies front-rower Palmer will leave Canberra at the end of the Super Rugby season after agreeing to a European deal.

But while he has signed for one season with the option of staying for the 2015 campaign as well, Palmer will be keen to return to Australian rugby.

The 24-year-old is regarded as one of the most technically sound tight-head props in Australia. He made his Wallabies debut against Scotland last year.

The opportunity to test himself in the set piece-dominated European game was too good to pass up.

''French rugby is something I've always been interested in,'' Palmer said. ''The opportunity came up and when I assessed everything it was the best option for me from a development point of view for rugby - and the chance to experience another top-level competition.

''It's a style of game I really enjoy and I think I can really develop and grow my game as a tight-head in French rugby. With the props they've got over there, you're playing against the world's best scrummagers every week and that's a challenge I'm looking forward to.''

News of Palmer's departure comes just days after the Brumbies re-signed Wallabies front-row duo Ben Alexander and Stephen Moore until the end of the 2015 season.

Palmer had started preliminary discussions about remaining in Canberra after moving to the capital. Grenoble also expressed interest and he flew to France during the Brumbies' Christmas break to get a tour of the facilities.

Former Brumbies Ben Hand, Anthony Hegarty and Henry Vanderglas have all established themselves at the club in the south of France.

While Super Rugby has an open and fast-flowing style aimed at encouraging the scoring of more tries, the European game relies heavily on set-piece execution.

Palmer is a scrum specialist and is the leader of the Brumbies scrum, despite his fellow front-rowers Moore and Alexander boasting more than 120 Test caps between them.

''In Europe it's set-piece focused and very confrontational, but not as fast as what Super Rugby is,'' Palmer said.

''I'm really looking forward to getting into a European style of game. It's a really good opportunity to have more scrummaging experience as a player and potentially moving into coaching [when I finish].''

The Brumbies are confident their front-row stocks will remain strong when Palmer departs at the end of the year.

Alexander and Moore provide the experience while Scott Sio and recruit Ruan Smith are touted as future star props

Palmer's superb scrum work was rewarded with a Wallabies call up during the mid-year Test against Scotland.

However, injury prevented him from adding to his international tally at the end of the season.

The hard-nosed scrum competition in Europe will give invaluable experience to Palmer's game.

He has left the door ajar for a potential return to the Brumbies and Wallabies.

''[Future Wallabies prospects] definitely came into consideration, it's not something I took lightly,'' Palmer said.

''I thought about it for a long time and spoke to all the people whose opinions mean a lot to me and I've come to the conclusion that at the moment experiencing French rugby is my best option. But in the future I'm certainly not closed to the idea of coming back.''