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Aston Villa has escalated its legal battle to register 17-year-old forward Brian Madjo by taking the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), following FIFA’s decision to block his eligibility to play.

The Premier League side reportedly paid €12 million (£10.2 million) in January to sign the north London-born youngster from French club Metz, but the player has yet to make his debut for Villa due to the registration dispute.

FIFA’s existing regulations restrict international transfers of players under 18 years of age, effectively stopping Madjo—who will celebrate his 18th birthday in January—from being officially registered with the club.

A significant aspect of the case revolves around an exemption in FIFA’s regulations that permits players aged 16 or 17 to transfer “within the territory of the European Union.” This clause, however, no longer applies to British clubs after the United Kingdom’s exit from the EU.

CAS has confirmed that Aston Villa’s appeal hearing took place as planned on Wednesday, although a date for the final decision is yet to be announced.

With Aston Villa preparing to feature in the Champions League next season, the club is eager for a resolution ahead of UEFA’s squad registration deadline on 2 September. The Premier League’s own squad submission deadline comes shortly after the closure of the summer transfer window on 1 September.

Madjo’s last competitive appearance came for Metz in Ligue 1 back in December. The talented forward has previously represented Luxembourg in senior international friendlies before later switching allegiance to play for England at the Under-17 level.