Boca Juniors have shelved plans to bring Villarreal midfielder Juan Roman Riquelme back to the club.
"The offer that we proposed did not match their expectations. Sadly, the negotiations are now finished," Boca president Mauricio Macri said on Radio Del Plata.
"Villarreal wanted 17.5 million Euros (£11.8million) and we offered 8.8 million Euros (£5.9million).
"It is a shame as we really wanted him to play for us."
Macri, who is preparing to take over as Buenos Aires mayor, added: "We made the best offer we possibly could.
"No other team in South America can make a similar type of offer but at least we tried it."