Canterbury have made the shock announcement they won’t be signing Cronulla’s rugby league Test star Andrew Fifita after all.

Fifita had agreed to a four-year deal from 2015 reportedly worth $3.5 million, which would have made him the highest paid prop in the game.

However, the Bulldogs issued a statement on Monday saying they would not proceed with it.

“After signing a memorandum of understanding with Andrew we’ve not been able to agree on the final terms of his NRL playing contract and have ceased negotiations with his management,” said Bulldogs CEO Raelene Castle in a statement.

“We wish Andrew all the best for the future.”

Castle did not specify the reasons why the Bulldogs opted out.

The Fifita deal had raised plenty of questions about how the Bulldogs could squeeze it all under their salary cap.

And the club’s about turn comes after Fifita told AAP last week he wished he’d chosen to go to rugby union because of all the flak he’d copped about leaving Cronulla and also declared his intention to move to rugby union in the future.

“If I could go back now, I wish I chose rugby and then I wouldn’t be getting all the s*** I’ve been catching now,” Fifita told AAP.

“I grew up playing rugby so it was one of the best things.

“It’s always going to be there and I will eventually go to union.

“It’s another dream and I just want to chase another dream.”

Fifita’s management was quoted in the Canterbury statement as saying: “Andrew is disappointed that we could not finalise terms with the Bulldogs but we still have several options in the pipeline to explore.”

The giant 24-year-old second rower was keenly pursued by South Sydney and Cronulla before he signed with Canterbury last month.

He has a history in rugby union, having represented NSW Country in junior ranks and earned a place in the Brumbies development squad.