Brighton may have failed in their attempt to secure Stuttgart striker Nicolas Gonzalez.
The Guardian reported on Wednesday that Brighton had agreed a fee with the German club for the forward, which would have been a club record deal.
However, Sky in Germany claims the player has rejected the Premier League club.
Gonzalez is instead sealing a move to Italian side Fiorentina.
The Italians are likely to pay a fee rising to £23 million, which is less than what Brighton were prepared to pay.
