Fiorentina chief Pantaleo Corvino says they cannot afford to pay over the odds for new signings.
"We have good money to spend and want to make the best out of it," said Corvino.
"At the same time, we know that it is impossible for us to get top class players because even if we manage to pay their transfer fee we cannot match their wage demands.
"Currently our salary budget is £17m and we have to start from there. We missed out on players such as Juan and Philippe Mexes due to that or players like Udinese's Felipe, who is not for sale."