FRANKFURT

A salary cap and draft system for soccer like that used in American sports would help stop the exodus of top Bundesliga players to richer competitions like the English Premier League which dominate the transfer market, Germany's national team manager Oliver Bierhoff said on Wednesday.

"I am a friend of the American system because it is about how can we keep this competition interesting. That should be our aim. To keep football on a high quality and keep the competition interesting for fans," Bierhoff told reporters.

Germany's Bundesliga has lost several marquee players, with Bastian Schweinsteiger and VfL Wolfsburg's Kevin De Bruyne moving to England, boosted by the Premier League's multi-billion euro broadcast rights deals.

Manchester United's capture of teenage forward Anthony Martial from Monaco for 36 million pounds ($55.11 million), labelled a panic-buy by sections of the British media, ensured Premier League clubs racked up a record spend of 870 million pounds in the transfer window that closed on Tuesday.

"The Bundesliga is losing players, that is clear, but we have to accept that if we are talking about a free market system," Bierhoff said.

The transfer of Bayern Munich's talismanic midfielder Schweinsteiger to Manchester United was worth a reported 17 million euros ($19.18 million).

VfL Wolfsburg's De Bruyne joined Manchester City for a reported 75 million euros -- a German record -- while South Korea forward Son heung-Min moved from Bayer Leverkusen to Tottenham Hotspur for 30 million euros.

"The positive thing is that this money comes into our market for investment. Wolfsburg for example can use that money to invest in smaller clubs (by buying their players)," Bierhoff said.

Wolfsburg also sold Ivan Perisic to Inter Milan for 20 million euros in another big money transfer.

"The negative side is that we have to be careful not to distance ourselves from the fans and that it is about football and identification with the sport and it is not just a business," added Bierhoff.

"I like the American regulation which strengthens smaller clubs either through drafts or salary caps but I know it is difficult under European Union legislation."