Barcelona have failed in their attempts to register Arda Turan before their transfer ban is lifted in January after FIFA rejected their appeal.
The La Liga champions had been hoping to exploit a loophole in FIFA statute to have Turan replace long-term injury absentee Rafinha in their squad.
Turan, 28, has failed to feature competitively for Barcelona since joining from Atletico Madrid over the summer and will now have to wait until January before being eligible to play.
Barcelona are one of just four sides left with a 100 per cent record across Europe’s top five leagues this season and but will be without Rafinha for at least six months after damaging his cruciate ligament in his right knee against Roma earlier this month.
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