Cardiff City have been left stunned after Nantes demanded payment for the £15m transfer of Emiliano Sala, who is missing and feared dead, after his flight went off-radar on a journey from France to Cardiff.
The Premier League club were shocked to receive a formal letter from Nantes on Tuesday asking for payment within 10 days.
The two clubs are now embroiled in a legal dispute.
Cardiff's first payment would ordinarily be due within seven days of the player signing, but the club do not intend to make any payments until the conclusion of official investigations into the causes of his disappearance.