Ronald Koeman had identified Wijnaldum as his number one priority, along with fellow Dutch striker Memphis Depay from Lyon, with both players in the last year of their contracts.
But Barca’s dire financial crisis has forced them to shelve plans to sign Wijnaldum, with the Spanish league’s governing body stepping in to block the move.
Topflight clubs in Spain are operating under strict financial guidelines following the Coronavirus pandemic.
Barcelona are struggling with a £510million-a-year wage bill and will not be given permission to sign Wijnaldum and Depay, unless they raise the money from player sales.
They must also pay the same amount as the transfer fee to the Spanish government, following financial help given to clubs during the health crisis.
LaLiga has given every club in the top division a limit of how much they can spend on transfers and staff dependent on their financial results in the past five years.
