Premier League seeks EFL agreement on £1.8bn funding offer

The Premier League has renewed its push for an agreement with the English Football League on a funding proposal that would provide an additional £1.8bn to EFL clubs. According to BBC Sport, the 10-year offer would double solidarity payments to the EFL's 72 clubs, but no settlement has yet been accepted and negotiations remain ongoing.

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In a statement following a meeting of its clubs on Thursday, the Premier League said discussions between the leagues' executives were continuing. It wants a deal reached quickly enough for extra funding to reach EFL clubs this season. Top-flight clubs agreed on the proposed package in late July, following years of disagreement about financial support for the wider football pyramid.

BBC Sport reported that the additional funding is expected to come partly from an increase in the Premier League's transfer levy. The proposal also carries conditions beyond the amount of money involved: it would require the removal of the second leg of Carabao Cup semi-finals and include restrictions intended to prevent the additional funds being spent on player wages. Those provisions remain part of an offer, rather than confirmed changes.

The negotiations also take place against the possibility of intervention by the Independent Football Regulator. If the leagues cannot agree, the regulator could use its backstop powers to impose a solution. The Premier League's statement reiterated its preference for the football authorities to reach their own settlement, an outcome that would avoid having the funding arrangement determined through that mechanism.

A central obstacle has been the treatment of parachute payments to clubs relegated from the Premier League. The EFL argues that those payments undermine competitive balance and encourage excessive spending by clubs pursuing promotion. The Premier League's position is that they give clubs confidence to invest and help sustain the competition that generates money subsequently shared with lower divisions.

The wider dispute dates back to the government-commissioned fan-led review in 2021, which followed crises including Bury's collapse and the failed European Super League project. Government officials warned the leagues in March 2024 that a deal could be imposed if they failed to agree. The EFL declined to comment to BBC Sport on the latest developments, leaving the proposal's acceptance unresolved.