Wolfsburg managing director Dieter Hoeness has admitted defeat in their bid to sign Schalke defender Rafinha.
German champions end their interest in Schalke defender
Wolfsburg managing director Dieter Hoeness has admitted defeat in the German champions' bid to sign Schalke defender Rafinha.
Reports emerged last week that the defender was set to move to Wolfsburg for 14million euros (£12.2m).
While Hoeness admitted the club's interest in the player at the time, he has now put an end to the speculation, saying the champions will not pay huge sums for a single player.
He told
Wolfsburger Allgemeine Zeitung: "The likelihood Rafinha is going to sign with us is unforeseeable.
"We are definitely unwilling to pay transfer fees in the region of £10m-£13m for a single player."
Benaglio surgery
Meanwhile, Wolfsburg will be without their number one goalkeeper Diego Benaglio for a further month.
The Switzerland international has not played since the New Year due to a knee problem and had hoped to cure it without requiring an operation.
But, after seeking advice from two specialists, he has now decided to go under the surgeon's knife.
The 26-year-old will undergo surgery on Monday and Andre Lenz is expected to continue in the Wolfsburg goal until he is fit to return.
Benaglio said: "Things were not getting better and it was not possible to train and play as normal.
"I had reached the point where I can no longer cope with the sharp pain in the knee.
"I hope after this (operation), things will settle down because this pain has been bothering me for many months now."
