Cardiff in talks with Nantes to resolve Sala row following extension

Cardiff City are in talks with Nantes to resolve the row over the £15million transfer of Emiliano Sala.

The two clubs have been in dispute since the 28-year-old striker died in a plane crash in the English Channel on January 21, two days after Cardiff had announced him as their record signing.

World football's governing body Fifa have given the clubs an extension until 15 April to come to an agreement.

The Ligue 1 club lodged a complaint with FIFA over Cardiff's refusal to pay the first £5m instalment of the transfer fee.

But FIFA made it clear more than a month ago that they would prefer Cardiff and Nantes to resolve the dispute among themselves.

It is understood Sala's Cardiff contract was rejected by the Premier League because it contravened signing-on fee rules.

Sala died before a revised one could be signed and there is a dispute about whether he had agreed to do so before his death.

Press Association Sport reported last month that Cardiff also planned to tell FIFA that the non-fulfilment of legally-binding clauses in the transfer agreement they struck with Nantes for the player made the deal invalid.

Without these clauses being fulfilled, Cardiff say Sala was perfectly entitled to join another club with more than a week of the January transfer window remaining.

Emiliano Sala died when the plane he was in crashed near Guernsey in January on the way to Cardiff.

The pilot, David Ibbotson, is still missing.

Read more: Cardiff to argue Sala transfer was invalid