Melbourne Heart has declined to sell their A-League license for the third time, after they pushed aside a third offer by VPL club South Melbourne.
This time South Melbourne upped their offer from $4 million to $7 million but talks have stopped.
South Melbourne is understood to have walked away when Heart flirted with the idea their licence may be on the table for $9 million plus.
South Melbourne has made no secret of its attempts to be promoted into the A-League and has been in talks with a few teams to secure that.
It has also been trying to put pressure on the Asian Football Confederation to open up the 10-club A-League competition, hoping to buy a new Melbourne license.
As the newest A-League team, Melbourne Heart has struggled to increase their fanbase, averaging the lowest attendance rate in the A-League.
South Melbourne believes it can attract 12,000 to 15,000 spectators at Lakeside Stadium if they secure a license.
Source: Fourfourtwo