Premier League pushes to seal New Deal with EFL and more than double solidarity payments to 72 clubs

The Premier League has made its position clear: it wants the so-called New Deal with the English Football League wrapped up as soon as possible. If the agreement goes through, the 72 clubs in the three divisions below the top flight would see their solidarity payments more than double each season.

• The ten-year proposal would raise solidarity payments to the EFL by £163m a year by the 2028-29 season.
• It also includes an extra £81m for the current campaign.
• The additional money would be tied to new cost controls and to changes such as reducing the Carabao Cup semi-finals to a single leg.
• The Premier League wants a football-led solution before the independent regulator can impose an agreement.

What the Premier League is offering to EFL clubs

The proposal, formally presented to EFL clubs last week after talks between the leagues' executives, runs over a ten-year period. The documents show a commitment to increase solidarity payments by £163m a year by 2028-29, more than double the current estimate of £134m.

The package also includes an additional £81m for the current season. That extra money would not arrive without conditions: the payment is understood to be linked to new cost-control agreements, a pledge to reduce the Carabao Cup semi-finals to one leg to ease fixture congestion, and a shared position on the Saturday 3pm blackout before the next domestic television deals are struck.

London shareholders' meeting and the path towards a deal

Top-flight clubs gathered in London on Thursday for their first shareholders' meeting since the season began. The main item on the table was the need to move quickly on an agreement with the lower leagues.

Since a fair and generous proposal was formally offered to the EFL last month, discussions have continued between the leagues' executives, and it was presented to EFL clubs last week. The Premier League remains committed to concluding a football-led solution as soon as possible so additional money can flow to EFL clubs this season.

The reference to a football-led solution is not accidental. If the two leagues fail to reach an understanding on their own, either side could trigger the backstop powers of the independent football regulator to impose an outcome. The Premier League would rather avoid that scenario and secure a negotiated agreement.

The independent regulator and the State of the Game review

The independent regulator is set to publish its State of the Game review in the coming weeks, setting out its position on the financial health of the English game. Some believe its findings could strengthen the EFL's hand in the negotiations.

However, EFL executives are understood to have warned their clubs that invoking the backstop mechanism could mean waiting up to two years for a new agreement to be signed off, with an unpredictable outcome. At Thursday's meeting there was no sense that the publication of the review was acting as a deadline, either for the Premier League or for its clubs.

Next steps: the EFL gathers feedback while the Premier League pushes for speed

EFL clubs have now been asked to provide their feedback on the proposal ahead of further meetings scheduled for early next month. The EFL has declined to comment while discussions remain ongoing.

The Premier League's stated aim is for the extra money to reach clubs in the Championship, League One and League Two as early as this season. To achieve that, the two governing bodies of the English professional game need to strike a deal that keeps the regulator out of the equation.

Frequently asked questions about the Premier League and EFL funding agreement