It has been confirmed that the top two divisions in France will not be completed this season, due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced on Tuesday that all remaining fixtures will not be allowed to take place before August.
Football is now expected to try and restart in September with the French Professional Football League planning to meet in May to decide on how the tables for this season should be defined and which teams will be promoted and relegated.
Just last week, the LFP announced plans for Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 to resume on June 17, with UEFA setting a deadline of August 2 for domestic leagues to be completed.
However, in his latest briefing on Tuesday afternoon, Philippe confirmed that no sporting events will take place before September.
"The big sporting affairs cannot occur before September. The 2019/20 football season cannot return," Philippe told the press.
With football being suspended across France, players on loan at Ligue 1 clubs will return earlier than expected to their parent clubs.
This includes Arsenal defender William Saliba, who remained at Saint-Etienne on a season-long loan deal after completing a move to the Gunners last summer.
Arsenal are currently awaiting the resumption of the Premier League season, with all professional football in England suspended since the middle of March.
There is no set date on when it will return as the country continues to battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, but reports have suggested the top flight is targeting a June return, with games to be played behind closed doors.
This has raised discussions of whether Saliba can make his Arsenal debut in the current season, as he is only a registered Saint Etienne player until June 30.
football.london understands that as things stand, the teenager would not be able to play for Arsenal until after that date, as the Gunners cannot terminate the centre-back's loan deal early.
Saliba is currently registered in Arsenal's 49-man Premier League squad for this campaign, but it is unclear if the defender would come straight into the north London side's first team set-up if the current season resumes.
It could be more likely that the centre-back returns to train with his new teammates, before making his debut next season as originally planned.
