The Merseysiders were convinced they had a deal for £27?million for the midfielder last weekend, but the fee increased when Spurs entered the race.
The 25-year-old instead spent the past three days in negotiations at White Hart Lane, although they were still awaiting confirmation that he would sign.
Rodgers was evidently frustrated he had not secured a player he said would have been a "perfect" addition. "No, it wasn't a football one [decision] and I don't really want to go into it.
"That's for us as a club really," he said. "The bottom line is he hasn't come here for whatever reason and we move on. We identify the targets and then try and get the deal done financially. The club has pushed financially as hard as they felt they could but it wasn't to be.
"The owners have the money and know what they can and can't spend. I can push and do everything to get the player in, but it's their money."
The philosophy of FSG is established, principal owner John W Henry adamant he will not overpay because he believes Liverpool have been stung too often in the past.
"It would have been great if it was Willian. It wasn't to be, but we can't lose sight of trying to get the right player in," said Rodgers.
"I think the owners will spend the money. They are ambitious for the club to progress and get into the Champions League places, and we also know in order to not get left behind you have to spend money.
"That's rightly important, to get quality in to help you progress, and the owners want to do that. We just need to make sure we can compete and get some players in."
Asked who had the final say as to how much the club will pay for any player, Rodgers said: "It's the owners' money and they will always have the final say because it's they who run the club. What they have taken on here is a huge job.
"You have seen over the few years they will finance a project and what we have to make sure of is we get the right players and the value and worth of the player is right.
"It's disappointing because this was a player who would have been perfect for us. We expect to be the best we can possibly be, but that means getting the best players. It's not just a player, but the right player. Where they can, the owners will finance that.
"We've sat down with the recruitment guys, working tirelessly really, so we hope to unearth something before the window shuts. The challenge is the same.
"Chelsea have won the Champions League and spent millions upon millions, Tottenham could spend up to 90-odd million and they are outside the Champions League.
"For us it is a huge, huge challenge. But I don't want to be defeatist. We can't accept that. But make no mistake about it, it's a big, big ask and a big challenge."
Rodgers, meanwhile, insists there have been no fresh bids for Luis Suárez. He said: "If we lose Luis at this stage, there might have been a point a few months ago where there was time to do it, but with 11 days to go it would be difficult to replace him."
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