Cardiff City’s pursuit of Emiliano Sala has hit the buffers again, according to reports in France.

A deal for the Nantes striker is currently off the table after the clubs were unable to agree on a price, claim the reports.

Sala flew to Cardiff for talks on Monday and met manager Neil Warnock and chief executive Ken Choo over a proposed £18m deal.

The 28-year-old Argentinian then returned to France, but on Wednesday morning Nantes are claimed to have withdrawn from the transfer after alleging the Bluebirds only offered £13m – well below their asking price.

If the difference between the two figures is intended to be bridged by clauses related to appearances, is still unknown.

Whether the deal can still be revived remains to be seen, although the reports also suggest Sala had overcome his initial reservations over joining a club dangerously close to the Premier League relegation zone.

The former Bordeaux player – who has scored 12 goals in the French Ligue 1 this season – is said to have been offered wages of £65,000 a week, a tenfold increase on his current pay.

The reports also suggest that Nantes’ insistence on digging in for as high a fee as possible for Sala is driven by the fact that the club must pay 50 per cent of anything received on to Bordeaux.