Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill is believed to have failed last week in a late bid to sign John Arne-Riise as the former Liverpool full-back was completing his move to Roma, claims the Birmingham Mail.
Unconfirmed reports from Italy suggest Villa came in at the 11th hour for Riise, a player who O'Neill has been monitoring for some time.
But despite the chance to stay in the Premier League, Riise is understood to have told Villa that their last-gasp attempt came too late to stop him moving to Serie A.