Sao Paulo centre back Rodrigo Caio reportedly passed a medical ahead of a switch to Barcelona, before the loan of Valencia's Jeison Murillo ended the negotiations.
Ernesto Valverde's side had been left with dearth of defenders, with only Gerard Pique and Clemente Lenglet at his disposal, after the injuries to Thomas Vermaelen and Samuel Umititi.
The club had been linked with a number of players across Europe, including Chelsea's out-of-favour Danish centre back Andreas Christensen.
However, the temporary signing of Colombian international Murillo (with an option to make the move permanent) seemed to quash the immediate need for further reinforcements, leaving Caio in the lurch.