Premier League

MANCHESTER, England — Premier League clubs have been told they cannot use their own stadiums for any resumption of games this season with only "approved neutral venues" to host remaining fixtures in a campaign currently on hold due to the new coronavirus pandemic.

The league, which has been suspended since March 9, remains in limbo, unable to take any steps, until any government decision next week on possible changes to lockdown restrictions.

If you believe all of the Raul Jimenez transfer rumors, you’d be convinced the Mexican international is headed to Barcelona and then Real Madrid and for good measure back to England to play for Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal.

Of course, these are all rumors, likely entirely baseless because what else are tabloid reporters supposed to write about at a time like this?

But Jimenez did respond to a couple of the rumors to ESPN Deportes this week. 

Premier League leaders Liverpool said they were "disappointed" by the city's mayor saying the season should not be restarted even behind closed doors because of the risk of fans gathering outside Anfield. 

Liverpool were 25 points clear of closest rivals Manchester City, who have a game in hand, when the league was suspended in March and need only two wins to secure their first top flight title in 30 years. Premier League clubs are set to meet on Friday to discuss ways to finish the season, with some already back in individual training. 

MANCHESTER, England — The Premier League has not played any matches since March 9 due to the COVID-19 pandemic but with UEFA having set a deadline of May 25 for leagues to inform them of their re-start plans, the clubs are actively seeking a way to resume the 2019-20 season and finish the remaining nine games.

Doing so would ensure they avoid potential financial penalties from broadcasters, crown the champions and decide the questions of European qualification and relegation.

MANCHESTER, England — European football leagues have been given a May 25 deadline to inform governing body UEFA of their plans to restart their domestic competitions.

Soccer has ground to a halt in all major leagues in Europe and none have yet to resume. But UEFA is keen to start planning for next season's European club tournaments.

FIFA has proposed that teams should be allowed to make up to five substitutions per match, instead of the usual three, as a temporary measure to help cope with potential fixture congestion in the aftermath of the novel coronavirus outbreak. 

Football has been at a standstill since mid-March but many leagues and federations are still hoping to complete the season but to do so they would have to cram fixtures into a shorter period than usual once play re-starts.

It’s been six weeks since the English Premier League suspended play due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. Arsenal has been out slightly longer, having gone into self-isolation after manager Mikel Arteta tested positive for COVID-19 on March 12. But Arsenal training is set to resume on shortly, even though England has yet to lift stay-at-home measures in the country.

Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Diogo Jota won the ePremier League Invitational title for his club on Saturday after beating Liverpool fullback Trent Alexander-Arnold with a golden goal in the final after the match ended 1-1 in regular time.

A number of top-flight players had signed up to represent their clubs in the virtual tournament to generate funds for Britain's National Health Service (NHS) during the COVID-19 pandemic.