Sevilla have told AS Nancy they will not pay them a cut of the fee they received from Clement Lenglet's move to Barcelona as they do not consider it a transfer.
The 23-year-old defender left Sevilla and joined Barca after he paid his €35.9 million release clause with the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) on July 12 to terminate his contract.
Nancy are reportedly requesting 10 percent of that release clause, claiming it is owed to them because of any future sale of the player due to solidarity contribution.
"There is no transfer," a source close to Sevilla told ESPN FC. "The player rescinded his contract and it's Sevilla's understanding that they do not have to pay any percentage.This is what they [Sevilla] have informed Nancy."
Lenglet joined Nancy at the age of 15 and played 83 games for the French club after making his debut in the 2013-14 campaign, and Sevilla paid a reported €5m to sign him in January 2017.
A similar situation arose at Sevilla in 2008 when Seydou Keita left the club for Barcelona after paying his release clause.
Keita's former club RC Lens requested that Sevilla give them a 10 percent cut of that payment, arguing it would fulfill the agreement between the clubs regarding a future sale.
Although FIFA supported the claim made by the French club, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled in favour of Sevilla.
Article 21 of FIFA's Regulations on the Status and Transfers of Players (RSTP) states: "If a professional is transferred before the expiration of his contract, any club that has contributed to his education and training shall receive a proportion of the compensation paid to his former club [solidarity contribution]."
However, there is no explicit definition provided by FIFA's RSTP as to what is considered a "transfer" and hence, it can be open to interpretation.