Bordeaux deny asking for Sala fee

Reports emerged that the club asked for a fee from the forward’s transfer, though the Ligue 1 outfit dismissed those claims

Bordeaux have denied demanding a fee for missing striker Emiliano Sala following his move to Cardiff City.

Sala completed a club-record transfer to Premier League side Cardiff before the plane he was aboard went missing en route to the Welsh capital from Nantes on Monday.

The search for Sala – who had been back in France bidding farewell to his team-mates at Nantes – was ended by Guernsey Police on Thursday, though the 28-year-old’s family are determined to resume the operation.

Amid the heartache, reports have emerged that Bordeaux asked for a fee from Sala’s transfer, believed to be 50 per cent following his spell at the club from 2012 to 2015, though the Ligue 1 outfit dismissed those claims.

“FC Girondins de Bordeaux formally denies the information published in the Presse Ocean newspaper that the club claimed its ‘due’ on the occasion of the transfer of Emiliano Sala,” Bordeaux said in a statement.

“In today’s sad circumstances, Girondins de Bordeaux express their support for Emiliano Sala’s family and friends.”

Sala’s family reached their €300,000 crowdfunding target in their bid to resume the search for the Argentine forward.

Search and rescue efforts had spanned three days without a trace of the Piper Malibu aircraft before the authorities opted to call a halt to their scanning of the area.

A GoFundMe page was created by non-profit organisation Sport Cover on Friday, with “its sole purpose” being to help continue the search for Sala and Ibbotson.

The pot surpassed the €300,000 mark on Sunday, with a donation of €30,010 from Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe helping it over the line.