Report: Leicester submits FIFA appeal to complete Adrien Silva signing

Leicester City is hoping an appeal to FIFA will help push a transfer deadline deal for Adrien Silva, with the club at last submitting its appeal to world football's governing body nearly a month after the summer window closed, according to John Percy of the Telegraph.

The Foxes had all but pried the Portuguese midfielder out of Sporting Lisbon in a £25-million deal, but late paperwork submission - specifically, 14 seconds past the already extended deadline - saw the deal fall flat.

Percy reports it took almost four weeks of deliberation between the club and its lawyers before the bid was submitted, but the club is not yet certain what the outcome of its appeal will be. Percy adds that the move might be approved but Silva would need to wait until January to play. He is currently waiting in limbo, but was spotted at the King Power Stadium as recently as last Saturday.

Leicester's desperation comes as the result of selling starting midfielder Danny Drinkwater to Chelsea in the summer, leaving the team shorter on options than expected.

Manager Craig Shakespeare offered: "There is a legal process going on where FIFA will decide what is happening with him, the quicker it is sorted the better.

"We'd love to have more answers but unfortunately we have to wait. Obviously I want to make him feel welcome because he's a player we identified a long time ago.

"He is frustrated because this is World Cup year but he understands what the legal side of it is as well."