London: English Premier League clubs will think about the option of putting a June 30 deadline on the 2019-20 season at a meeting on Friday.
As per a BBC report, many players’ present deals expire on June 30 including Chelsea midfielder Willian and Tottenham defender Jan Vertonghen.
Also, Liverpool are due to change shirt manufacturers from New Balance to Nike, while Watford and Newcastle are also changing kit suppliers.
Therefore, many feel that, no matter what the state of the Premier League at that point, June 30 should be the final day to take the call, the report says.
FIFA, world’s governing body, is looking at alternatives like contract extensions. The season is currently suspended indefinitely because of the coronavirus pandemic.
A move such as this would also bring more clarity to the 2020-21 season, which BBC Sport has been told by numerous sources is more important than the current one, the report further says. Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder though does not expect a deadline to be set for the end of the campaign. He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I’m sure that we will adjust accordingly. I think for the integrity of the competition and competitions, especially the top end of English football and European football, they’ll want to finish the season. “I believe that there will be an ability next year to adjust, with international breaks, with moving a few games into midweek. We have that ability through organisation and planning to finish this season off.
“But only as everybody said, and I’ll reiterate that, when it’s safe to do so for everybody. And that obviously we have to take our lead off the government and what they suggest and want us to do.”(IANS)
