Sevilla sporting director Oscar Arias has conceded that the club are unlikely to keep hold of Stevan Jovetic as the Inter Milan forward is out of their price range.
The Montenegro international made a big impression at the Sanchez Pizjuan during his half-season on loan, scoring six goals and registering four assists in 21 league outings.
Sevilla had hoped to tie down the 27-year-old on a permanent deal this summer, but a mixture of high wages and a big transfer fee has ensured that the Andalusian outfit are now out of the running, unless his asking price is substantially lowered.
"It's a bit of everything and not just one reason," Arias told ABC Sevilla. "We could handle a higher wage than what we're offering now, but only if we didn't have to pay a transfer fee. Or, the other way round, we could pay the fee if the player's wage demands weren't so high.
"In our business model, we must keep costs contained. We don't have the wage budget of a Manchester City, Barcelona, Chelsea or Real Madrid. We can make an effort, as we did with Jovetic, but always within the parameters. We must be realistic and admit that, at times, some things simply cannot be.
"It's a complicated situation as the player earns very high wages and Inter are asking for an equally high transfer fee. We are not ready or capable of taking on such a burden. We've already reached our limit. If it cannot be, then it cannot be. We wish Stevan good luck for his future career and now seek an alternative."
Jovetic, who has previously been linked with Fiorentina and West Ham United, failed to make a single start for Inter prior to joining Sevilla in January.
Daniel Lewis
