Keats hasn't announced which side he will be featuring for, or which of the four countries he will be based in, but the 29-year-old admits he is already looking forward to the challenge.
Having been linked to an All Black squad place but never having received the call up, Keats believes now is the right time for a new challenge.
"I was probably going to stick around New Zealand for as long as possible but this was too good to turn down," Keats told The Dominion Post.
"To be fair, I hadn't even been looking overseas but they had been watching me for a couple of years and actually chased me up.
"I'm not going to be an All Black, so it's time to move on…and this is a good opportunity."
Wherever Keats plays next year he will bring a winning mentality and plenty of experience with him.
A winner of back-to-back Air New Zealand Cup titles with Canterbury in 2008 and 2009, Keats has also played provincial rugby for Nelson's Bay and Taranaki.
He has represented both the Crusaders and Hurricanes at Super Rugby and scored a crucial late try in a win over the Chiefs a fortnight ago.
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