EPFL to vote on synchronised end to transfer window in Europe - report

Published on: 24 January 2018

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The European Leagues (EPFL) are set to decide on a synchronised end for the upcoming summer transfer period on Aug. 31, according to Sport Bild.

EPFL's board of directors will put the idea to vote on Feb. 14, and will then pass it on to the 32 member leagues for a final decision.

Whereas most summer transfer windows in the European top flights close on Aug. 31 already, Spain's La Liga leaves it open for another day and transfers in the Turkish divisions can currently take place. The English Premier League will now close on Aug. 9 before the season starts, after the clubs agreed to move the date in September.

"This might be a small advantage for La Liga if they have one extra day for transfers than Bundesliga or Ligue 1," EPFL general secretary Georg Pangl told Bild.

Should the plan be passed by the board of directors, the 32 member leagues -- including the top five leagues La Liga, Premier League, Serie A, Bundesliga and Ligue 1 -- will then have the final say on the EPFL general assembly in Edinburgh on April 6.

Following last summer's transfer window, a number of high-ranking football officials in Germany had called for significant adjustments to the dates of the transfer period, with German league president Reinhard Rauball proposing Aug. 1 as a possible deadline day.

But citing smaller leagues like Scotland or Austria, where the majority of top clubs are still involved in playoffs for the European competitions at that time, Pangl said that this was not an option.

The new transfer rules could already apply for the 2018 summer transfer window if the national associations and FIFA also agree to the changes, and Pangl added there could be further adjustments to the dates.

"It will be pretty difficult to find a solution for all 32 leagues," Pangl said: "What I could imagine in that case is that the top 5 leagues agree on an earlier date than Aug. 31."

Stephan Uersfeld is the Germany correspondent for ESPN FC. Follow him on Twitter @uersfeld.

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Source: espn.co.uk

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