Aldershot assistant manager Martin Kuhl has admitted defeat in the race for Tim Sills.
Kuhl has told the Aldershot News and Mail that the wage demands of the player, who has 12 months left of a League Two contract, are too much for the club that has issued disappointing financial results in the last couple of seasons:
"Unless the wage demands are sorted out, any deal for Tim is dead I'm afraid. I have been told that he is going somewhere else now and while we were interested in bringing him back, we can't afford his wages.
"We would like to speak to him but we are so far away from each other in terms of wages that it is not something that's going to happen at the moment. Tim is a very good player and I'm sure there are a few clubs after him but we can't afford what he wants."
Stevenage and Rushden are now believed to be the main bidders in the race, with Kuhl's words suggesting that one of the two has agreed a deal with the Romsey born forward.