Bayer Leverkusen sporting director Rudi Voller said Borussia Dortmund's failure to meet Omer Toprak's asking price is the reason a move for the Turkey international defender failed to materialise.
Toprak, 27, was the subject of a €20 million bid from Dortmund earlier this month, but Leverkusen refused to budge over their valuation of the player.
He is able to leave the club for a pre-agreed fee of €12m next summer, but Voller said Leverkusen would not consider letting him depart for less than what they felt is his current market value.
"Omer understood immediately that it was not down to us that the deal didn't work out, but Borussia Dortmund have every right to say they are not going to match our valuation," Voller told Sport1 television.
"It happens and nobody is angry about it. You've got to agree with the other club, and we simply couldn't agree with Dortmund.
"We owed it to him that we would listen to any offer, and he had this offer from Dortmund, but it didn't work out."
