Tim Cahill is currently pricing himself out a move to the A-League, according to Football Federation Australia chief executive David Gallop.
Cahill, 36, is currently without a club after leaving Chinese Super League side Shanghai Shenhua earlier this month.
The Australian international had been tipped to return to his home country as part of his next move, but Gallop has claimed that the attacker's wage demands are too high.
"We contacted Tim and his advisers immediately when we heard he was not going to be part of Shanghai any longer," he told reporters. "A number of our clubs also contacted him immediately. I personally was in contact with him. He made it clear immediately that we couldn't meet his needs."
Cahill, who made his name in the Premier League with Everton, was recently quoted as saying that the A-League 'lacks vision'.
