Cardiff threat to sue agent over ‘inflating the Sala fee’

EXCLUSIVE

CARDIFF CITY’S top executives are furious about football agent Willie McKay’s admission that he deliberately inflated Emiliano Sala’s transfer price and are gathering information that could lead to them suing him or trying to avoid paying the £15million fee. Malaysian owner Vincent Tan has a track record for going after people he believes have wronged him in the transfer market — previously pursuing former manager Malky Mackay and three agents all the way to the High Court in a claim for £10m damages. McKay’s admission that he deliberately spread stories about rival clubs’ interest — revealed in an email he sent to Sala — is viewed by executives at Cardiff as possible ‘price manipulation’. Cardiff last week sought written testimony from other Premier League clubs touted as possible buyers about whether they really had any interest in Sala, who died in a plane crash last month, three days after signing for the Premier League side. At least one of those clubs say there was no interest and they had not even watched Sala play. One source told Sportsmail: ‘McKay told us that another Premier League club had given him a written mandate to get the player. We’ve spoken to that club and there was no such mandate. We want to understand the truth about whether anyone was interested at all. Vincent Tan hates people cheating him. He doesn’t take things like that easily. He’ll stand up to people.’ McKay’s admission that he had sought to artificially inflate the price came in an email to Sala which he released to the French newspaper L’Equipe. He said he had told the media of rival clubs’ interest ‘just to stimulate interest in you (Sala).’ He listed Everton and West Ham, though Crystal Palace, Fulham, Burnley and Wolves were also reported to have an interest in the 28-year-old. The legal manoeuvres could be viewed by some to look like an attempt to use McKay’s admission as a way of avoiding paying some or all of the transfer fee to Nantes, who had mandated him to find a buyer for Sala. Cardiff may try to argue that since McKay was representing Nantes, the French club were partially responsible for the organisation of the ill-fated flight. ‘It is Cardiff’s position that McKay works for Nantes,’ said a source. ‘He is not an intermediary. He has nothing to do with Cardiff and they hope he never does.’ McKay is actually very well known to Cardiff manager Neil Warnock. The Scot’s twin sons, Paul and Jack, were signed by the club last year. Legal experts say Cardiff will have to pay the fee in full, since they have agreed to sign the player in a legally binding transfer deal. But the club retain some belief that the transfer had not been fully completed. They think they may be able to argue that personal terms had not been finalised with the player. The Premier League confirmed that Sala’s international transfer certificate had been registered with the FA of Wales and that he had been named in a squad registered with the Premier League when he died. In December 2016, Cardiff launched a claim of dishonest conspiracy with regard to two transfers against Mackay, their former director of football Iain Moody and agents David Manasseh, Rob Segal and John Inglis. The case is still lodged within the court system. Contacted by Sportsmail about Cardiff ’s comments yesterday, McKay refused to discuss the matter. He said: ‘You’re calling yourself a journalist are you?’ He then repeatedly said: ‘What are you calling yourself?’ and put down the phone. A second call elicited the same response.