Sheffield Wednesday transfer news: Mark McGuinness training with Cardiff City as he waits for 'technicality' to cut short loan

The centre-back was on a season-long loan from the Championship club, but it included a recall clause.

The Bluebirds were minded to exercise it but were unable to so in the early days of the transfer window because of an embargo placed on them when they failed to pay the first instalment of Emiliano Sala's £15m transfer fee.

Now the fee has been settled, the Football League embargo has been lifted. The FIFA embargo that went with it will be, but is not yet officially over.

McGuinness will therefore play for Cardiff in the second half of the campaign despite the Owls' eagerness to keep him but he has not yet been re-registered because of a "technicality".

“We're just waiting on a technicality with FIFA for the moment, so that hasn't come through yet as of yet,” revealed Cardiff manager Mark Hudson. “We're still waiting on an update but he is back with us, training.

“The club have worked extremely hard to pay the instalment and I think there's a period of time where then FIFA will lift their (embargo) and obviously then, that would go hand in hand with Macca's (McGuinness') situation.”

Sala was killed in a plane crash in January 2019 as he flew over to officially sign off the deal but it was deemed the transfer had gone ahead, and therefore the Bluebirds had to pay Nantes the fee.

The issues dragged through the courts before finally being settled in 2022.

The initial instalment was thought to be around £5.3m, but had risen to £7m with interest.

The Owls, who also saw Alex Mighten's loan from Nottingham Forest ended early, will now seek to sign a new central defender with Ben Heneghan out with a long-term injury.