Cardiff want “all the facts” clarified before they honour the payment
French football club Nantes have reportedly threatened legal action against Cardiff City over the £15 million transfer fee for Emiliano Sala.
The BBC report that Cardiff have withheld the first scheduled payment for their record signing, Sala, who was on board an aeroplane which lost radar contact near Guernsey on 21 January.
It was confirmed on Monday morning that a body – which has yet to be recovered and identified – had been seen in the wreckage of the aircraft which disappeared while carrying the player.
The plane, which was being flown from Nantes to Cardiff by pilot David Ibbotson when it vanished above the Channel Islands, was found on Sunday during the first day of a private search.
A source at Cardiff told the BBC they want “all the facts” clarified before they honour the payment and that the club are “surprised” the demand has been made before Sala’s body has been recovered. It is thought Nantes will begin legal action if they do not receive a payment within 10 days.
French club Bourdeaux will receive around 50 per cent of the fee as Sala played for the club between 2012-15 before joining Nantes.
