Fulham manager Roy Hodgson has reached a dead end in his pursuit of Mark Viduka, now a free agent after leaving Newcastle, with the Australian opting against staying in the Premier League.
"I met Mark when he came down to London and spent a bit of time with him to ascertain what his intentions were," he said.
"I wanted to know if he wanted to continue playing in the Premier League but by the end of our discussion it was pretty clear he'd made his decision to leave it behind and start a new life.
"With Mark it was always going to be a long shot because we realised when he left Newcastle it wasn't to go somewhere else, it was to start a new life."