Adrien Silva left in limbo after Leicester's appeal to register midfielder rejected by Fifa

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Leicester's bid to ratify the registration of Adrien Silva has been rejected by Fifa, leaving the player in limbo until the transfer window re-opens in January.

The former Premier League champions had agreed terms and a £25m fee with Sporting Lisbon for the player on deadline day, but the move failed to materialise after the required paperwork was received by the Football Association 14 seconds late.

Leicester, with the assistance of the FA, went on to challenge Fifa’s ruling but any hopes of forcing through the transfer before the New Year look to have been dashed.

A Fifa spokesperson said: "We can confirm the following decision of the Single Judge of the Players’ Status Committee: the petition made by The Football Association for permission to request the International Transfer Certificate for the player Adrien Silva and subsequently register the player for its affiliated club, Leicester City FC, is rejected."

Silva will now be without a club for the next three months and unable to train with Leicester’s squad. Sporting have said the transfer is complete.

The 28-year-old has also been left out of Portugal's squad for their final World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Switzerland this month, with his country still hopeful of reaching next summer's tournament in Russia.

Leicester made a late move for Silva after Danny Drinkwater's signed for Chelsea on the final day of the transfer window.

The Foxes must now wait until January before the Portuguese can feature for the side, who currently side 17th in the league with just one win under their belts after the opening seven games of the season.