AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani has revealed that the club were priced out of a move for Dutch midfielder Kevin Strootman this summer.
It is believed that PSV Eindhoven offered the Italian club the chance to sign the 23-year-old, who eventually completed a move to Roma last week.
"He's a really great player. We followed him for a year too, but he cost too much and we left," he told Sky Sports Italia. "At this moment £17m is too much for Milan."
Strootman had previously also been linked with a move to Manchester United.