A WhatsApp recorded message from the late footballer Emiliano Sala has revealed that he had “no interest” in joining Cardiff City before his transfer from Nantes to the Premier League club was agreed, Independent reports.

Sala died on the evening of 21 January when the aeroplane carrying him and pilot David Ibbotson crashed into the English Channel near the island of Guernsey. The Argentine striker’s body was recovered from the wreckage on 3 February, but Ibbotson remains missing. A full investigation into the accident remains ongoing.

Cardiff had agreed a £15m transfer fee with Ligue 1 side Nantes in the January transfer window, with Sala making his way to Cardiff at the time of the tragic accident to meet up with his new teammates for the first time.

A bitter dispute has erupted between the two clubs over payment of the transfer fee, but amidst the row the harrowing details of how Sala’s trip was organised and the failures to make certain provisions for him – including voice messages of how concerned he was during the flight – have emerged.

Now, a new audio clip of Sala talking about a potential move to Cardiff has been released by French newspaper L’Equipe, in which he claims the deal was being driven by Nantes owner and president Waldemar Kita due to the money that had been offered.

More at Independent