The Premier League is making plans to submit new proposals to its clubs for a financial settlement with the English Football League (EFL) as soon as next month.
Sky News has learned that the Premier League shareholders’ meeting on November 22 is expected to include a discussion on a range of new offers to be made for the rest of the professional football pyramid.
The meeting will be held a month after the government introduced legislation paving the way for the establishment of an independent football regulatory body that would have the power to impose a far-reaching financial deal on the sport.
Insiders said the Premier League had assembled a large team of advisers, including Global Counsel, the lobbying firm founded by Lord Mandelson, to advise on issues including the new regulatory body.
One of them warned that the official agenda for the November 22 meeting has not yet been finalized.
However, several club executives said they expected it to emerge amid growing demand from some Premier League shareholders to present a revised deal to the Premier League’s board, chaired by Rick Barry.
An executive at one of the top-flight clubs said: “A deal now that the EFL has accepted it will provide a five-year fix, meaning it is resolved in the medium term and beyond the reach of the regulator.”
They added: “A sensible deal would likely have the support of 14 clubs (the required majority) now.”
Lengthy discussions in the Premier League over an £836m agreement to distribute a proportion of commercial income across the Championship, League One and League Two were halted in March due to deadlock between the league’s clubs.
The 20 top-flight clubs, including Aston Villa, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur, have for more than a year drafted several versions of a “new deal” that included proposals to increase the tax on player transfers.
The latest scheme, which has not been formally submitted to the Premier League, includes a clause for an immediate payment of £44m to the lower leagues, followed by a further £44m within months.
However, a £88m loan would have been provided to be repaid by the Premier League over more than six years.
The Premier League decided to make the vote independent of any conditions linked to the wider financial reform of English football, which raised concerns from a number of Premier League owners.
At some point in the autumn of 2023, a £925m deal appeared to be close.
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However, last December, Richard Masters, the Premier League’s chief executive, informed clubs that it was calling for a temporary halt to talks with the EFL due to internal divisions over the size and structure of the proposed deal.
Next month’s meeting is set to address several pressing issues facing English football’s elite, including potential amendments to the rules relating to linked party transactions following Manchester City’s recent arbitration proceedings.
Both the Premier League and its current champions declared victory from this ruling, deepening the sense of civil war sweeping across the top flight of English football.
Claims that Manchester City committed 115 breaches of Premier League financial rules are being considered in a separate case, which is ongoing.
Changes to the treatment of club shareholder loans, which will affect a large number of Premier League teams, will also be discussed next month.
The Premier League declined to comment on Saturday.