The rumor and gossip about billionaire widow Lily Safra’s notoriously high maintenance Villa Leopolda seems never to end.

Back in August we reported that Russian billionaire Mikail Prokhorov was the mysterious purchaser of the lavish home in Villefranche-sur-Mer which was on the market for a record price of 390 million euros.

Then came a report in early January of 2009 in The Londoner’s Diary that stated The Widow Safra’s trophy estate had, in fact, not been sold.

The ongoing saga of the sale of the most expensive villa in the world continues.

Back in August we reported that Prokhorov, the Russian billionaire, was the mysterious purchaser of the Villa Leopolda - on the French Cote D’Azur - at the price of 365 million Euros ($545 million) - which was a staggering price to pay for a single property.

Now the London Times reports that Prokhorov paid a $55 million deposit, but wants to back out of the deal (Prokhorov reportedly lost $7 billion in the economic crisis).

The saga of world’s most expensive house started over at luxuo with Updown Court, the most expensive mansion in the world and the100 Million Dollars Trump’s Palm Beach Mansion.

As a matter of fact, one of our reader, who left a comment, was right : some villas on the French Riviera might be even more expensive !

Various sources said Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich and his girlfriend Daria Zhukova have just bought a home in France for $500 million. The home in question, La Leopolda, is an elaborate villa located on the French Riviera… which has become the world’s most expensive house !