Wolverhampton Wanderers are said to have ended their pursuit of Southampton midfielder Mario Lemina after the two clubs failed to agree on the terms of the deal.
Nuno Espirito Santo's side have been chasing the 25-year-old for several weeks as they look to secure a reinforcement in the middle of the field and have been in talks with the Saints over bringing the Gabon international to Molineux.
Southampton are open to losing Lemina, who moved to St Mary's as a then-club record signing in 2017, while the player himself has been vocal about wanting to move on.
According to the Express & Star, however, Lemina's proposed move to Molineux is now off after Southampton refused to accept Wolves' offer of a loan deal with an option to buy.
The Midlands side have brought in several key players using their preferred try-then-buy method in recent seasons, including the likes of Willy Boly, Diogo Jota, Leander Dendoncker and record signing Raul Jimenez.
The newspaper claims that Ralph Hasenhuttl's side are unwilling to entertain such a proposal and are instead holding firm on a straight sale for Lemina, whom they value at around £19m.
Neil Wilkes
