Air accident investigators said on Monday they had concluded the wreckage of a plane on the seabed near Guernsey was that of the missing aircraft carrying Premier League soccer player Emiliano Sala and that a body was visible inside.

The 28-year-old Argentina-born forward had been en route from Nantes in western France with pilot David Ibbotson to make his debut for Welsh team Cardiff City when the plane is believed to have crashed into the sea on January 21.

"Based on analysis of ROV (underwater remotely operated vehicle) video footage, the AAIB investigators on board the vessel concluded that the object is wreckage from the missing Piper Malibu aircraft," Britain's Air Accidents Investigation Branch said in a statement.

"Tragically, in video footage from the ROV, one occupant is visible amidst the wreckage.

"The AAIB is now considering the next steps, in consultation with the families of the pilot and passenger, and the police."