FIFA block Barcelona from signing Thomas Vermaelen replacement outside transfer window

Thomas Vermaelen is currently out for a few months after a hamstring surgery

According to reports, FIFA will not allow Barcelona to sign a defender to replace Thomas Vermaelen outside the transfer window. The club wanted to sign a replacement under ‘exceptional situations’ with the centre back nowhere close to a return to the first team.

Barcelona had signed the 29-year-old Belgian from Arsenal for approximately £15 million before FIFA imposed a transfer ban. But he is yet to feature in an official game for the Catalan club. Vermaelen is currently out for a few months after a surgery on his hamstring.

The club cannot conduct any transfers for the next two transfer windows – January 2015 and the summer months of 2015 – after being banned for one-year following the Neymar transfer fiasco.

Barca wanted to sign Vermaelen’s replacement using the ‘exceptional circumstances clause to sign a player outside the transfer window. But a FIFA disciplinary committee has told Barca that they did not 'conceive an exception' for signing players 'outside the official periods of registration'.

Barcelona will be able to sign players if their appeal to the ban is resolved by the Court of Arbitration for Sport this month.