This will undoubtedly be the unsavory side of the Emiliano Sala tragedy, but we all knew it was coming one day soon.
[ WATCH: Cardiff City salutes Sala after opening penalty kick goal ]
The BBC is reporting that Ligue 1 side Nantes are demanding the first of three identical payments — each expected to be roughly $6.5 million — from Cardiff City “within 10 days,” otherwise they will take legal action against the Premier League side.
The report also cites a source at Cardiff as saying the club intends to honor the transfer agreement, which is set to be for a club-record $19.5 million, once they have “all the facts.”
Cardiff are reportedly “surprised” that Nantes have made such demands while attempts to recover the bodies of Sala and pilot David Ibbotson are still ongoing. The Air Accident Investigation Bureau said on Monday that “one occupant is visible amidst the wreckage” at the bottom of the ocean just off the Channel Islands.
[ MORE: Cardiff wins in first home match since Sala’s disappearance (video) ]
Bordeaux are also due a cut — reportedly 50 percent — of the transfer fee as part of the agreement to transfer Sala to their French counterparts in the summer of 2015. Nantes paid an initial fee of just over $1 million.