Leeds United may not have a great FA Cup record in recent years, but can at least plan for their third-round trip to Cardiff City knowing there won't be any new faces lining up for the Championship club. It's going to be a case of what you see now, is what you'll get, after the club were blocked from signing any new players.
A Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruling has upheld the decision regarding the payment to French club Nantes and a first instalment of money for the transfer of Emiliano Sala. The player tragically passed away in 2019 before playing for Cardiff, who have been in litigation surrounding the transfer and fee.
CAS's decision means Cardiff are banned from any transfer activity for three windows, although the club say they are in talks to resolve the situation.
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Cardiff initially appealed having to pay Nantes the Sala transfer fee, but it was determined that the player's transfer from Nantes had been completed before his tragic death in January 2019. Cardiff continue to dispute the money owed and have appealed against the CAS hearing to the Swiss Federal Court, with a decision expected by the end of January, or in early February.
Cardiff chairman Mehmet Dalman told WalesOnline: "It's a technical embargo, there are lots of legal discussions going on and those will continue to take place.
"We are pretty confident of being able to negotiate our way through this. It's irrelevant anyway until January 1, when the transfer window opens, and we are working hard to find an amicable resolution by then. We are working hard to resolve this in the interest of the club."
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