Football news - The Premier League: What we know and what it all means

UEFA has set leagues across Europe a deadline of May 25 to submit plans to pick up where they left off and the Premier League has held a series of meetings with clubs and broadcasters to determine the next steps forward.

The police are said to be keen for matches to be played at neutral venues in order to stop fans from congregating outside stadia, as PSG supporters did when their Champions League last-16 tie against Borussia Dortmund was played with empty stands prior to the suspension of football.

It is said that grounds far away from heavily-populated urban areas, such as Manchester City's Etihad Stadium, West Ham United's London Stadium and Brighton and Hove Albion's AmEx Stadium are being favoured, but even those clubs will not be able to play their matches at their own stadia. The FA's St George's Park national football centre and Wembley Stadium were both mooted as potential venues previously, but it is now reported that the grounds are likely to be home to Premier League clubs.

The Premier League has insisted at every juncture that it remains completely committed to completing the season, with clubs and broadcasters also on board. However, Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero has admitted that he is afraid to take to the field again, and the Mirror reports that many of the division's smaller sides are less enthusiastic about the resumption, feeling that the integrity of the competition will be compromised should they be deprived of the chance to pick up valuable points at home.

"All the integrity has gone, how can this be deemed fair? It’s a complete nonsense. No wonder the top six want to finish for their money and Champions League places. But what about the rest?” one executive from a bottom-six club told the Daily Mirror.

The government is said to be keen to get sport back on television in order to boost morale in the country and Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Oliver Dowden is delighted that the plans are moving forward.

Some Premier League clubs, such as Arsenal, have already reopened their training ground, closing communal areas and making players work alone on individual training regimes. Players are to arrive alone and already in full kit to avoid use of changing rooms.

If full training resumes before social distancing regulations are relaxed, BBC Sport reports that players will be tested twice a week and screened for symptoms every day. The tests will be taken by health professionals at dive-through centres, to which they will have access. It has been reported that players could be made to wear face coverings.

It has been reported that many Premier League clubs, and indeed some of their counterparts in the EFL, have invested in £36,000 coronavirus testing kits to fulfil a rumoured aim of 4,000 tests a week to cover the whole decision.

While the cost and the inefficiency of testing kits (which can only test one person every two-and-a-half hours) has steered the NHS away from them, there are obvious potential PR losses if the resumption of football is seen to take precedence over the testing of frontline workers.