Lazio president Claudio Lotito says he tried to keep hold of Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.
The Serbia midfielder has joined Al-Hilal in the past week.
Lotito told Il Corriere dello Sport: I had offered Milinkovic-Savic a contract extension, but his agent said he had received a 40m proposal from a Saudi club, 18m after taxes.
The player wanted something new but the first offer for Lazio was 15m. I told them that 15m or 0m was the same for me and that he would have run a lot around the pitch with that fee. So 15m became 30m and then 40m."
