20-year-old, who would quadruple his wages in England, to take the case to the arbitration commission of the Dutch FA (KNVB).
But the KNVB ruled in favour of Heerenveen so the only way Samaras will become a City player before the end of the month is if they meet the Dutch club's demands.
"The amount that they offered us was between three and five million euros
(£2-3.5million),'' said director Henk Hoekstra.
"I can't mention what we wanted, but there was no way we could make a deal. City know our opinion so if they want to make a move, they know what they have to do.''
Heerenveen are believed to have placed a 13m euros (£9m) valuation on
Samaras, who is under contract until June 2008. Samaras felt that was unfair and took his case to the KNVB in a bid to force Heerenveen to reduce their asking price, arguing a move would significantly enhance his career.
But the action was unsuccessful, with the KNVB pointing to FIFA rules that say
unless all parties are agreed, a club can demand whatever fee they like for a
player who is still under contract.
"The arbitration ruled that the club had the right to refuse the transfer to
City,'' explained Hoekstra.
"The player's case was that he could earn a lot more money in England than
what he gets here and he thought that was enough for us to release him from his contract, and for a small amount, sell him to City. But the arbitration talked about the FIFA regulations and said there was no reason to break the contract.
"There was also the sporting side to consider. He argued that City were a
better team than Heerenveen. But Heerenveen are in the UEFA Cup and the teams are both ninth in their league, so that is also in doubt.''
Samaras' lawyer Eric Vile disagreed, saying: "That surprised me, I think
everyone knows that the Premiership is a better league than the Eredivisie."
Samaras is now thought to be considering strike action but Heerenveen are
unaware of such plans.
"We expect him at training tomorrow morning,'' Hoekstra added. "He has a
contract with the club so he has obligations to us, and we have obligations to
him."