FC Nantes striker Emiliano Sala rejected the chance to move to the Premier League in January despite stalling over contract negotiations at the Stade de la Beaujoire, according to reports.
The 27-year-old appeared to be pushing for a move away from France and Sala was eager to join Galatasaray during the summer transfer window. However, the Turkish side were never allowed to enter negotiations ahead of the new season.
It has since been reported by French newspaper L’Equipe (via SportWitness) that Sala delayed talks over a contract extension earlier in the year after Crystal Palace and Brighton, along with a host of Chinese clubs, attempted to sign the striker.
It is likely that the Seagulls were considering a move for Sala before they committed to signing Jürgen Locadia in a €17m deal from PSV Eindhoven, while the Eagles would have been looking to add some firepower due to Christian Benteke and Alexander Sørloth’s slow start to the campaign.
The contract issue prompted Nantes’ hierarchy to actively try and sell the forward throughout the summer, but Sala remains a part of the set up in Pays de la Loire and he has been one of the standout players in Ligue 1 so far this season.
The former Bordeaux striker is already sitting on three goals for the new campaign, a tally which is bettered only by Kylian Mbappé and Neymar.
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Sala was born in Argentina and spent part of his youth in the ranks of Club Proyecto Crecer, but the target man has actually been in France for the majority of his professional career.
Despite first breaking into the Bordeaux first team in 2011, Sala has had to wait for his opportunity to come in Ligue 1. The Argentine forward has come on leaps and bounds since moving to Nantes in 2015, however, scoring 38 goals and claiming 11 assists in 116 appearances.
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