Leicester are considering whether to take their case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) after FIFA rejected the registration of midfielder Adrien Silva.
The £25million Deadline Day deal with Sporting Lisbon arrived onto FIFA’s Transfer Matching System (TMS) 14 seconds after the transfer deadline passed on August 31.
After an investigation that has left Silva in limbo in the Midlands and unable to train, a FIFA spokesman confirmed on Wednesday that “the decision of the Single Judge of the Players’ Status Committee … is rejected”.
Leicester have no further grounds for appeal with FIFA and they are now considering whether to appeal to CAS in order to force through his registration, accept Silva as a Leicester player even though he cannot play until January, or cancel the transfer altogether.
But Sky Sports News understands that Sporting Lisbon consider the deal done, are expecting payment from the Foxes, and are prepared to fight the Premier League club legally if they try to return the player.