{{primary_category}}
{{/primary_category}} 
Gamechanger - Sources: Huge Leeds & West Brom promotion boost as agreement close
Leeds United and West Brom have been given a huge boost in their hopes of securing promotion after fresh Premier League talks with government chiefs, Football Insider understands.
The return of the English top flight is edging closer after the Premier League made progress in getting to a stage where games could resume behind closed doors by mid-June under special permission.
A Premier League source has told Football Insider that the Championship could follow suit by resuming matches under strict guidelines.
These include playing matches behind closed doors and keeping players in a strict, sterile environment even when the Coronavirus pandemic is predicted to have peaked.
Health officials have insisted behind the scenes that things will start to improve in the UK by the middle of April and distancing measures will begin to have an impact on the number of cases in the UK and the subsequent number of deaths.
Significantly, there appears to be a strong Government will for elite football to resume as soon as it is deemed safe.
Get Exclusive transfers news at Football Insider's YouTube TV channel
A tentative agreement is close to being sketched out after the meeting of the 20 Premier League clubs on Friday, and that will have a massive knock-on effect for the Football League.
EFL chief Rick Parry has been in constant contact with Championship clubs, including top two Leeds and West Brom, with negotiations on a virtual daily basis.
It was announced on Friday that the previous 30th April resumption date had been pushed back indefinitely.
For reasons of sporting integrity and to avoid owing a huge financial rebate to broadcasters and sponsors, the preference for Premier League and Football League clubs is to complete the season.
Leeds and West Brom, who are well clear at the top of the Championship with nine match remaining, could make legal moves against the Premier League if the season was null and voided, as could Fulham, Nottingham Forest, Brentford and Preston North End.
In other Leeds United news, a flop signing has been tipped to be a completely different beast in the Premier League next season by Danny Mills.