Port Vale boss Darrell Clarke says his team did want to sign Dennis Politic from Bolton Wanderers on a permanent basis but suggested that wage demands were a stumbling block which meant the deal never came about.
The 21-year-old has been on loan at the League Two side this season and racked up 15 appearances with the Valiants, scoring five times.
He had been offered a fresh contract with Wanderers earlier this campaign, but this was turned down and his deal with the club is poised to run out this summer.
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He is poised to move to Italian club Cremonese in Serie B and depart English football, with Wanderers confirming that a bid from a club other than Vale has been accepted and prompted his recall from the League Two side.
Clarke confirmed that Vale did want to sign Politic but hinted that a deal might have been above what the Valiants were prepared to offer in terms of wages.
The Vale Park boss insists there is a wage structure at the club which he does not want to break, and if that means missing out on a player or two that they would like to sign, then so be it.
Speaking after his side's loss to Salford City last night, Clarke told BBC Radio Stoke: "Dennis was outstanding. We were in for him, but like I've always said, there's a wage structure at this football club that I don't want to break.
"I've got great support of the football club and there ain't going to be a gulf between players' wages. I don't want that, I don't think it's the right way to build it.
"We're not moneybags. We try and do things at a sensible level and get competitive. I know fans and people go 'we need to sign him' but when they want the sort of wages that they want, it knocks everything out of sync for me.
"We want players that are at high incentives on wages and that they earn it. They don't get a bonus unless we're in the top seven. We want players coming in and being rewarded for success and that's the platform we're building here.
"That's the right platform and sometimes then you miss out on one or two players but that's the way of the world."
