Ligue 1: French players' union calls for closure of transfer window before season starts

Paris: The French players’ union (UNFP) has called for the transfer window to be shortened to avoid disputes between players and clubs continuing into the start of the season, it announced on Monday. The organisation’s call follows similar suggestions by several leading coaches around Europe, including Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho, Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger and Massimiliano Allegri at Juventus, in the last week. [caption id=“attachment_3889091” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File photo of Kylian Mbappe of AS Monaco. Reuters[/caption] Among the high profile transfer sagas that have overshadowed the start of the season is that involving Monaco’s 18-year-old striker Kylian Mbappe. The French international has been frozen out by the reigning Ligue 1 champions after making it clear he wants to move. Paris Saint-Germain are reportedly ready to pay €180 million for his services. The UNFP’s proposal is for the summer window to close when the first of Europe’s five major leagues — Spain, Germany, England, Italy and France — start. At the moment the window closes on 31 August. “With squads thus settled, the excesses that have cast a shadow over our summer could be avoided, between fools’ games, different pressures and agreements that sway from illegality to amorality,” the UNFP said in a statement. Several English top-flight clubs have called for such a change in order to minimise disruption once the season gets under way and they are due to vote on the proposal at the start of next month.