Wrexham’s bid to sign Harrogate striker Luke Armstrong has fallen through because the deal was not completed before Friday’s transfer deadline.
Wrexham had agreed terms with League Two rivals Harrogate, but missed the 23:00 BST cut-off point as the transfer window closed on Friday.
As a result, Armstrong remains a Harrogate player.
The 27-year-old scored 16 goals for Harrogate last season, and has a total of 31 in 106 appearances for the club.
Harrogate had announced on Friday night that Armstrong had joined Wrexham for an undisclosed fee, while the Welsh side said they had lodged paperwork but were waiting for confirmation of the deal.
But in a statement issued on Saturday morning, Wrexham said: “The required documentation and clearance requests could not be completed in time and Armstrong’s registration has been rejected.
“The club would like to thank the player for choosing to join Wrexham earlier in the day and are disappointed that this cannot now happen (pending any appeal).”
Durham-born Armstrong has also played for the likes of Salford and Accrington since beginning his career at Birmingham City.
Wrexham did complete the signing of Millwall midfielder George Evans and Arsenal goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo on loan during Transfer Deadline Day.