Despite having already boarded a plane to London, the deal taking Roma goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg to Fulham looks to be off.
An agreement was in place, thought to be a loan deal, that would see Stekelenburg undergo his medical in London in the next few hours but Roma are believed to have now pulled out of the deal.
They were hoping to sign Emiliano Viviano from Fiorentina to replace the Dutchman but, with the deadline in Italy now passed, they have no opportunity to find cover for any departures.
This makes them particularly unwilling to let Stekelenburg leave and they are thought to have told the 'keeper to return to Italy as soon as possible.
Martin Jol would have viewed the 30 year old as a natural long term replacement for Mark Schwarzer who, now forty, hasn't looked as composed this season as normal. The Australian stopper is likely to retire at the end of the season.
It's not a huge blow for Fulham though who could easily dedicate the summer transfer window to signing a new goalkeeper. With David Stockdale out on loan at Hull City currently, cover for Schwarzer would be preferable but Stockdale can be recalled at any time.