That he's being cheeky?

[Chattenoire]

We're interviewing for a senior role. Salary was clearly mentioned in the job posting (I double checked this today). However, once we gave the verbal offer he mentioned the salary was below his expectations, but he already knew it, so can't claim ignorance.

We have a close second who I assume would be ok with the salary that was actually posted...

I know potentially we can go a bit higher BUT that was the total compensation, whereas what we were offering could.potentially be higher based on a performance bonus.

I don’t find it particularly cheeky, if you don’t feel he’s worth the extra wage then don’t offer it to him.

You don't ask/hint you don't get! Cheeky, yes, but if it gets company to consider sweetening the deal then it works. Maybe he knows that some companies hold some % back for a final offer.

I've never been offered above the advertised range (if advertised) I've been able to negotiate decent bonus packages, but the basic salary has always remained within the original range.

The best time to get more money is during negotiations at the start, after that you are stuck with poor annual rises.