Eintracht Frankfurt have accused Lazio of forgetting the letter 'K' in their transfer offer for Filip Kostic, while also denying sending a fake email address during negotiations between the two clubs.
Goal reported back in June that Lazio had joined Inter and Roma in the race to sign Kostic, who had been made available for a permanent transfer at a price of €25 million (£21m/$30m).
Lazio continued pushing for the Serbia international's signature right up until the August 31 deadline, but it has been reported that their final bid was never received by Eintracht.
What's the situation?
It has been suggested that the Bundesliga outfit gave Lazio a false address to make sure that the deal couldn't go ahead, but Goal can now can confirm that a language-based error led to the collapse of the proposed transfer.
Eintracht have rubbished the reports circulating in the media while claiming that Lazio forgot to include the letter 'K' in their written proposal, leaving them unable to officially accept.
When Lazio originally emailed their offer last week, it was sent to eintrachtfranfurt.de instead of eintrachtfrankfurt.de
However, the letter 'K' in question does not exist in the Italian alphabet, and Lazio sent another mail explaining that they were having problems drawing up the correct offer only for the transfer window to close before a compromise could be reached amid reports the Serie A side were not ready to meet the asking price for Kostic.
Lazio chief Tare addresses the failed move
Lazio sporting director has Igli Tare has confirmed that Kostic was a target for the club, but he is now eager to put the whole saga behind him.
Asked how he reacted to the breakdown in negotiations, the Stadio Olimpico chief told Goal: "I don't want to say anything about that. There is no point in talking about it anymore. We would have liked to sign Filip Kostic."
Pressed on whether Lazio will return for Kostic when the winter market opens, Tare added: "I don't think so."
Where does this leave Kostic?
Kostic risked the wrath of Eintracht officials by going on strike last week in order to try and force a transfer, but Goal has learned that he has already been forgiven by his team-mates and head coach Oliver Glasner.
The 28-year-old still has two years remaining on his current contract at Deutsche Bank Park, and supporters will hope that a man who has recorded 26 goals and 48 assists in 129 appearances for the club to date can refocus on his duties in Frankfurt and help the team enjoy a successful 2021-22 campaign.
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