Sporting Lisbon have reportedly rejected an offer of €15m (£13.23m) from West Bromwich Albion for Rodrigo Battaglia.
The Baggies have not recorded a win in the Premier League since the second weekend of the season, and new head coach Alan Pardew is keen to make alterations to his first-team squad.
However, according to A Bola, the West Midlands outfit have failed in an attempt to sign midfielder Battaglia ahead of the start of the January transfer window.
Battaglia has scored once in 21 appearances this season - which has included six starts in the Champions League - but Sporting are said to be demanding a fee in the region of €25m (£22.05m).
If Pardew is to maintain an interest in the Argentine, he will likely have to sell first with Gareth Barry, Jake Livermore, Grzegorz Krychowiak, Claudio Yacob and Sam Field all featuring in the centre of the park this season.