When everything seemed to indicate that the playmaker would join a Brazilian club, now he will have to look for another destination.
While it seemed that Argentine playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme would seal a move to a Brazilian club, the chances of this happening have completely faded after the Brazilian transfer deadline closed on Friday.
Riquelme, who confirmed his exit from Boca Juniors following their Copa Libertadores final defeat to Corinthians, showed his intentions of signing for a Brazilian club, but while it seemed that he would pen a deal with either Flamengo or Cruzeiro neither deal materialised.
Everything seemed to indicate that the Argentine international would sign for Flamengo, especially because he attended the team's midweek clash with Corinthians at the Engenhao stadium in Rio de Janeiro.
However, the midfielder wasn't convinced with Flamengo's performance [they lost the game 3-0] and finally didn't accept the deal.
Flamengo had been looking to capture the player as the permanent replacement of Ronaldinho, who departed to Brazilian league leaders Atletico Mineiro, but both parties failed to come to an agreement.
Cruzeiro also tried to lure the Argentine to Belo Horizonte, but although the player seemed interested in a move there, the Brazilian club couldn't meet his financial expectations.
Riquelme's future remains up in the air, even if a number of teams have shown great interest in acquiring his services.
While several teams in Argentina, including Tigre, Argentinos Juniors, Rosario Central and Racing Club have an outside chance of signing him, the 34-year-old could well return to Europe, or sign a lucrative deal with a club from Qatar or China.
One thing is for sure, Riquelme won't return to his beloved Boca Juniors, even if 5,000 of the club's fans recently pleaded for his stay at the Bombonera stadium.
Riquelme, who confirmed his exit from Boca Juniors following their Copa Libertadores final defeat to Corinthians, showed his intentions of signing for a Brazilian club, but while it seemed that he would pen a deal with either Flamengo or Cruzeiro neither deal materialised.
Everything seemed to indicate that the Argentine international would sign for Flamengo, especially because he attended the team's midweek clash with Corinthians at the Engenhao stadium in Rio de Janeiro.
However, the midfielder wasn't convinced with Flamengo's performance [they lost the game 3-0] and finally didn't accept the deal.
Flamengo had been looking to capture the player as the permanent replacement of Ronaldinho, who departed to Brazilian league leaders Atletico Mineiro, but both parties failed to come to an agreement.
Cruzeiro also tried to lure the Argentine to Belo Horizonte, but although the player seemed interested in a move there, the Brazilian club couldn't meet his financial expectations.
Riquelme's future remains up in the air, even if a number of teams have shown great interest in acquiring his services.
While several teams in Argentina, including Tigre, Argentinos Juniors, Rosario Central and Racing Club have an outside chance of signing him, the 34-year-old could well return to Europe, or sign a lucrative deal with a club from Qatar or China.
One thing is for sure, Riquelme won't return to his beloved Boca Juniors, even if 5,000 of the club's fans recently pleaded for his stay at the Bombonera stadium.
