Robert Enke's proposed move to Fiorentina faltered on Sunday when Jorg Neblung, the Benfica goalkeeper's agent, raised concern over financial problems at the Serie A club. "At the moment they can't even pay the players they have under contract," he said.
Enke has been not yet been offered a contract by the Lisbon club and is expected to be sold when the Portuguese transfer window reopens at the end of the year.
His contract runs out in the summer and Benfica intend to cash in on the player rather than see him leave on a free transfer at the end of the season.
But Neblung is concerned that Fiorentina's battle with bankruptcy has ruled them out as a credible force in Italy, forcing Enke to look elsewhere for a team capable of challenging for major honours