Emiliano Sala was on a private plane that disappeared near the Channel Islands on Monday evening.

The plane was travelling from Nantes to Cardiff.

A French civil aviation authority spokeswoman said: “Mr Sala was aboard this aircraft. The search for it is continuing and that is all I can say.”

Cardiff’s chairman, Mehmet Dalman, said: “We are very concerned by the latest news that a light aircraft lost contact over the Channel last night. We are awaiting confirmation before we can say anything further. We are very concerned for the safety of Emiliano Sala.”

Sala, 28, signed with Cardiff last week for a club-record fee of £15 million.