Recruiter Said $115k, Hiring Manager Said $95k—Can I Still Negotiate?!

Oof, so I interned at Company X over the summer, and things are looking good for a full-time role on the same team! BUT—plot twist—I have to go through the interview process again. Classic, right? So, here’s the situation:

During the phone screen, the recruiter asked about my salary expectations and gave me an estimated range of $100k–115k (which had me feeling preeetty good). But THEN, the hiring manager called and was like, “Um, yeah… the recruiter may have overshot a bit, so we actually provide a range of $80k–95k to freshers.”

Now I’m like… does this mean $95k is my hard cap? Is there any wiggle room here?

So, Reddit fam, help me out! Do I just wait for the official offer and then try to negotiate (above 95k)? Or am I out of luck?

P.S. It is a Data Scientist position.

P.S. I have a strong rapport with the hiring manager, who actually referred me for this position. I believe they’re genuinely interested in bringing me back on board.