Hull City have confirmed that they were unable to complete the signing of Yannis Salibur from Ligue 1 side Guingamp.
The Tigers agreed a reported £9m fee for the 26-year-old on transfer deadline day but a delay in processing the paperwork meant that it did not go through in time.
Hull appealed to world football governing body FIFA but, on Wednesday, they confirmed on their Twitter account that they failed in their attempt to have the transfer sanctioned.
Marco Silva nevertheless enjoyed a productive January transfer window, which included the permanent signing of Poland winger Kamil Grosicki and loan deals for Inter Milan defender Andrea Ranocchia and Villarreal midfielder Alfred N'Diaye.
Hull sit 18th in the Premier League table, just one point from safety, and face Arsenal on Saturday at the Emirates Stadium.