AC Milan have have dropped out of the running to sign Argentina striker Carlos Tevez from Manchester City.
Managing director Adriano Galliani claimed they came "ever so close" to agreeing a deal for the 27-year-old.
The Italian club, who set a 1800 GMT deadline to secure a deal, have instead signed Maxi Lopez from Catania on loan.
"If someone had asked me at 5.30pm who would be coming, I'd have said Tevez. It was heart in mouth stuff right up to the deadline," Galliani said.
Continue reading the main story We've left things well with City and the misunderstandings have been overcome
Adriano Galliani
AC Milan managing director
Earlier this week City criticised Milan for the way they had gone about trying to sign the Argentine striker, while Inter Milan and French Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain both withdrew from the race to sign Tevez after having bids turned down by City.
Tevez has not played for City since September and his dispute with the club has so far cost the Argentine £9.3m in wages, fines and lost bonuses.
Tevez's adviser, Kia Joorabchian, told talkSPORT that he expected his client to remain at City until the next transfer window in June and Galliani has not ruled out making another bid in the summer.
"We've left things well with City and the misunderstandings have been overcome," he said.
"The market opens again in four months, so perhaps it will be just a few months of separation with 'Carlitos'.
"I did everything I could to bring him in."
Lopez, who had been waiting on a Tevez decision, was signed on a loan deal that gives AC Milan the chance to buy the player outright at the end of the season.
The 27-year-old played alongside Tevez at youth level for Argentina.
Tevez, who is currently in Argentina, has not played for City since they beat Birmingham on 21 September.
City boss Roberto Mancini alleged he refused to come off the substitutes' bench in September's Champions League defeat at Bayern Munich, while the player maintained there had been a misunderstanding.
An internal club investigation concluded that Tevez, who joined City in July 2009, was guilty of five breaches of his contract and he was fined four weeks' wages, reduced to two following intervention from the Professional Footballers' Association.
Tevez likely 'to stay until the summer'
Joorabchian says striker will have to make peace with Mancini as hopes of January transfer fade
Carlos Tevez's adviser Kia Joorabchian claims a rift with manager Roberto Mancini is at the heart of the player's dispute with Manchester City.
But Joorabchian accepts the pair will have to put their differences to one side and work together for the rest of the season if Tevez's hopes of a transfer this month are scuppered.
Tevez has been in his native Argentina without the club's permission since November, having not played for them since September. The 27-year-old is hoping to secure a move before the closure of the current transfer window next Tuesday.
Tevez first agitated for a move in December 2010 but at the time stressed that he had no personal issues with Mancini, who took charge 12 months previously.
That position, however, appears to have worsened significantly since. "The relationship with Mancini, ever since Mancini came into the football club, has not been good," Joorabchian said.
"You think about last Christmas when Carlos wanted to leave and it was all to do with feuds with the manager, and I think that just carried on and on. There was a point when Carlos did say, 'I can't get on here'.
"And he is not the only one. You have to reflect back. [Craig] Bellamy had to leave Manchester City in an awkward way, [Emmanuel] Adebayor has had to leave Manchester City in an awkward way, Shay Given has had to leave Manchester City in a semi-awkward way, Wayne Bridge has been isolated and is not even training with the first team. He is not alone, Carlos."
Mancini recently said it would be "impossible" for Tevez to return to his side. Yet Joorabchian has indicated that the player accepts he will have to return to City if he fails to secure a move in the next four days.
Joorabchian said: "City have made a position where they would like to move the player on, but at a certain price. We've been in negotiations with three big clubs. I don't think anyone has reached the numbers City were hoping for. Carlos has always said this is not about money for him. At the moment it looks like Carlos will remain at City until this summer."
Joorabchian added: "Carlos does understand he has a contract and he has been walkabout, but Carlos has come to terms with the fact he has got to come back and live with Mancini."
Milan, Internazionale and Paris St-Germain are the three clubs to have been heavily linked with Tevez this month. Inter and PSG appear to have withdrawn their interest, leaving Milan as the most likely suitors, but they have so far failed to make an offer acceptable to City, understood to be needed to be around £28m.
Joorabchian told talkSport: "The only one that was left was Milan and unfortunately they can't reach an agreement with Manchester City at the moment."
The relationship between Mancini and Tevez reached its nadir with the infamous episode during the Champions League loss at Bayern Munich in September when the player did not warm up as requested. Mancini said that Tevez was "finished" at City as a result.
Tevez was suspended and later fined for misconduct by City.
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