Sala said: 'I am here on a plane that looks like it’s about to fall apart'

Emiliano Sala sent voice messages to team-mates before his plane disappeared

Emiliano Sala sent haunting voice messages to friends shortly before his plane was lost over the English Channel.

Cardiff City’s record £15million signing is missing presumed dead after his flight went off radar, north of Alderney at Les Casquets at 8.23pm on Monday, just an hour after taking off from Nantes Atlantique airport.

The single engine Piper PA-46 Malibu plane was bound for Cardiff. On Tuesday night Argentinian website Ole.com posted the audio messages which it claimed were sent to a WhatsApp group of fellow players and friends.

Emiliano Sala sent a haunting text message to a friend minutes before his plane was lost

Rolan claims Sala wrote: 'If they do not find me, you would already know what had happened'

Nantes fans gather to lay flowers for Sala who is missing after a plane he was on disappeared

A Nantes fan chants and displays a club shirt with Sala's name on the back on Tuesday evening

The club's supporters were in floods of tears as they paid tribute to the missing Sala

He says: ‘Hello, little brothers, how are you crazy people? Brother, I’m really tired, I was here in Nantes doing things, things, things, things and things, and it never stops, it never stops, it never stops.

‘I’m here on a plane that looks like it’s about to fall apart, and I’m going to Cardiff, crazy, tomorrow we already start, and in the afternoon we start training, boys, in my new team.’

He later sent another message saying: ‘How are you guys, all good? If you do not have any more news from in an hour and a half, I don’t know if they need to send someone to find me... I am getting scared!’

Sala had been dropped at the airport by his friend, Nantes defender Nicolas Pallois, and before boarding the plane had confided that he was concerned about the flight.

The 28-year-old striker had travelled in the same plane from Cardiff back to France on Sunday and complained about that flight being ‘bumpy’.

People in Nantes took to the city centre's La Place Royale to hold a vigil and place yellow tulips

The Nantes supporters also sang songs and laid down Sala's national flag of Argentina

The striker had been prolific for the Ligue 1 club this season before sealing a move to Cardiff

He told Nantes team-mates he feared for his safety before boarding the single engine plane

Sala confided in Nicolas Pallois about his fears after flying on the same plane back to France

Sala, centre wearing a black hooded top, posted this photograph on Monday of his 'final goodbye' to Nantes players hours before his plane went missing over the English Channel

Sala's parents Horacio (L) and Carina Mercedes Taffarel (R) embrace outside their home

His father Horatio said: 'I'm desperate. I do not know what will happen... I hope that good news will come. It still feels inexplicable. His whole future ahead of him, all those dreams he had.'

Once he was on board for the fateful return flight, Sala texted friends to say the plane was making ‘weird noises’.

Unconfirmed reports say the plane had difficulty taking off and took ‘three or four’ attempts before flying at 7.15pm.

The journey should take about 1hr 20min and, as Cardiff became concerned about the plane’s late arrival, manager Neil Warnock contacted Sala’s representatives, who tried to alert the player’s family.

His father Horacio, mother Mercedes and his sister were last night travelling from Rosario, Argentina to Paris.

‘I’m desperate,’ Horacio told Argentinian TV. ‘I do not know what will happen ... I hope that good news will come.

‘His transfer to Cardiff was a big step. He is a boy who has always fought hard. A humble boy. It still feels inexplicable. His whole future ahead of him, all those dreams he had.’

At Nantes’ training ground, stunned players, staff and fans cried as news came through.

The Argentinian striker only completed his £15million move to Cardiff on Sunday afternoon

Cardiff chief executive Choo, pictured with Sala, said the club were 'praying for positive news'

Supporters leaving the floral tributes left handwritten messages of support to his family

Cardiff supporters started to leave tributes outside the stadium on Tuesday afternoon

A blue and white scarf with Sala written on it was left outside the Cardiff City Stadium

Sala pictured with his mother Mercedes, who's travelling to Paris on Tuesday as they wait news

Monaco and Metz held a minute's silence in light of the events before their match on Tuesday

Nantes manager Vahid Halilhodzic admitted he is 'awaiting the worst' on Tuesday

SALA FACTFILE AGE: 28 HOMETOWN: Cululu las Colonias, Argentina POSITION: Striker CAREER TIMELINE 2011-2015 - Bordeaux 2012-13 - US Orleans (loan) 2013-14 - Niort (loan) 2015 - Caen (loan) 2015-19 - Nantes 2019 - Cardiff Advertisement

Sala had held a farewell lunch with his team-mates on Monday.

He posed for pictures before posting on Instagram with the prophetic caption ‘la ultima ciao’ — ‘the last goodbye’.

Supporters of the French club took to the city centre’s La Place Royale to place yellow tulips, symbolic of Nantes’ colours, at the foot of the fountain, clinging to a hope their former idol will be found.

However, as light faded, the 15-hour search that had covered over 1,155 square miles, was suspended at 5pm to be resumed this morning.

Guernsey police said floating objects had been found on the water but were unable to confirm if they were from the aircraft.

‘We have found no signs of those on board,’ they tweeted. ‘If they did land on the water, the chances of survival are at this stage, unfortunately, slim.’

A Piper Malibu light aircraft - a plane of this model is believed to have lost contact at 8.23pm

Police said in a statement that the aircraft left Nantes at 1915 for Cardiff and was flying at 5,000 feet. Police on Guernsey said the search for the plane resumed at 8am on Tuesday

The plane lost contact near the Casquets lighthouse off the coast of Alderney

Guernsey police said floating objects had been found on the water but were unable to confirm if they were from the aircraft.

'We have found no signs of those on board,' they tweeted. 'If they did land on the water, the chances of survival are at this stage, unfortunately, slim.'

Nantes manager Vahid Halilhodzic added: 'I am aghast. We are waiting but we are not allowing ourselves to dream. We are awaiting the worst.'

Cardiff, who cancelled training on Tuesday, said they were 'praying for positive news'.

Sala had scored 13 goals this season and was regarded as one of the form strikers in Europe.