English Premier League sides West Ham and Leicester City are set to miss out on Ghanaian midfielder Thomas Partey after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) rejected his club Atletico Madrid's appeal against a transfer ban for signing minors.
The two clubs are among four English side including Watford and Middeslbrough who were all keen on signing the Ghanaian midfielder this summer.
However the decision by CAS to uphold the FIFA ruling of banning Atletico Madrid for signing minors will affect the future of Partey as they will be reluctant to sell him because they can't buy a replacement.
The La Liga club said in a statement that CAS had reduced their January 2016 FIFA-imposed fine of 900,000 Swiss Francs ($927,548) to 550,000 but had upheld a two-window transfer ban, prohibiting them from registering players bought this summer.
Atletico finished third in La Liga last season, 15 points adrift of Real Madrid, and risk falling further behind the champions and Barcelona next season as Spain's two biggest clubs are expected to spend big on renovating their squads.
The decision could also affect the future of Partey, the subject of frequent speculation linking him with a move to the English Premier League sides.
FIFA, who also banned Barcelona from registering players for two transfer windows in 2014 for a similar misdemeanour, welcomed the upholding of the transfer ban.
The Atletico Madrid midfielder has been monitored by the English side since excelling for Ghana at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.
Partey caught the eyes of the clubs after he excelled at the tournament in Gabon where he played in all six matches for the Black Stars.
The 22-year-old was a revelation after putting up an impressive performances to help Ghana reach the semi-finals.
The former Tema Youth player has been working hard to establish himself in the Atletico Madrid.