BUENOS AIRES (AFP) - Argentine giants Boca Juniors have been given an extra 72 hours to try and negotiate the purchase of Villarreal midfielder Juan Roman Riquelme.

The Buenos Aires-based club have had an 8.8 million euros offer for the Argentine midfielder rejected by the Spanish league side, and are now set to increase their bid to secure the Argentine.

The transfer deadline in Europe was midnight on Friday but the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said Friday they had given Boca until Monday night to finalise ongoing negotiations with Villarreal.

Riquelme, whose four-month loan spell at Boca ended in June, is linked with the Valencia-based club until June 2009.