The plane that was carrying Emiliano Sala to Cardiff 13 days ago has been found, according to reports.

A search boat located the wreckage on the seabed of the English Channel this morning and the player’s family have been informed.

The Piper Malibu aircraft disappeared from radars close to the Channel Islands on 22 January.

Both pilot David Ibbotson and the Argentinian player have been missing since and initial searches were called off.

Sala had just completed a record £15m move to Cardiff City from French club Nantes.

The underwater search for the missing plane began this weekend with the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB)’s Geo Ocean III combing the channel alongside a privately-funded boat.

A privately funded search of a four square mile stretch 24 nautical miles north of Guernsey began on Sunday morning, with the vessels using radar technology in the hope of recovering the plane. Last week, seat cushions believed to be part of the plane were found on a beach in Surtainville, France.

The new search location was based on the flight path of the plane before it lost radar contact.

The original search for the aircraft was called off after three days, after the Guernsey police said the chances of those on board the plane surviving were minimal.

That statement sparked the campaign to fund a new search, which is being carried out with a £324,000 backing behind it.

Search team leader David Mearns had said they would be looking for wreckage and a debris field 120m below the sea’s surface, and stated: “We will continue to work until the plane is located.”