Bordeaux deny asking for £7.5m sell-on fee following Emiliano Sala’s Cardiff transfer
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BORDEAUX have denied claims they demanded a fee for missing forward Emiliano Sala following his move to Cardiff City.
The Argentine striker completed a club-record switch to the Premier League side from Nantes before the plane he was aboard went missing over the English Channel en route to Wales.
The search for Sala and pilot David Ibbotson was ended by Guernsey Police on Thursday after three days, with hope almost gone anyone on board will be found.
And while the tragedy has unfolded, there were reports from France claiming Bordeaux wanted 50 per cent of the £15million fee owed to the Ligue 1 side.
Sala was at Les Girondins for three years before moving to Nantes in 2015.
But in a statement, the club have dismissed reports they are due any money from the deal.
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The club said: “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.
"In today's sad circumstances, Girondins de Bordeaux express their support for Emiliano Sala's family and friends."
Sala’s family have not given up hope of finding the striker and have urged to authorities to resume their search.
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.
This morning the pot surpassed the £290,000 target with donations from Paris Saint-Germain stars Kylian Mbappe and Adrien Rabiot.
Arsenal skipper Laurent Koscielny and Manchester City’s Ilkay Gundogan also pledged cash.