Ghana defender Alexander Djiku's transfer from Strasbourg to Hoffenheim fell through when a German intermediary agency tried to take a cut of the deal's commission, according to French journalist Santi Aouna.
According to L'Équipe, the deal fell apart when Djiku's brother, who is also his agent, asked for a higher commission at the last minute.
The agent shot back, revealing that Hoffenheim had given him an ultimatum to reduce the commission by 3%.
Aouna has now revealed that a German intermediary in the deal tried to take a cut of the Djiku transfer commission, causing the deal to collapse at the last minute.
Djiku's entourage denies receiving a 10% commission on the transfer, which would have been the equivalent of €1.4 million.
The true figure was a 7% commission, which is the equivalent of €1 million, while the entourage also denies demanding a €1.8 million sum, as reported by various media outlets.
Djiku has been on the radar of several clubs after some stupendous performances in the Ligue 1 last season.
The Strasbourg player helped the club finish sixth last season, and was a member of the Ghana team that qualified for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar after edging Nigeria in the playoff.