Melbourne Heart has reportedly turned down an offer of $7million from South Melbourne FC for its A-League license.
The Victorian Premier League club are desperate to be involved in Australia's top flight but have walked away from negotiations empty-handed after being told they may have to stump up more than $9m to obtain the rights to the Heart franchise.
The Heart rejected an initial bid of $4m before SMFC returned with the $7m proposal but hesitated even further when notified of the $9m license cost.
