The Premier League 'will get Boris Johnson's green light for Project Restart TODAY' with professional sport allowed to return next month

  • The Premier League will hold a key meeting on Project Restart on Monday
  • Prime minister Boris Johnson is set to allow the return of professional sport
  • Top-flight officials want to resume the season at neutral venues next month 
  • A number of relegation-threatened clubs are opposed to the current plans
  • Brighton revealed a third player had tested positive for coronavirus on Sunday 
The Premier League's hopes of resuming the season will receive a huge boost when the government gives them the green light today, according to The Telegraph.
Project Restart would see top-flight games played again from the middle of June, with the remaining 92 matches held behind closed doors at neutral venues.
Those plans will move another step closer to reality on Monday, with prime minister Boris Johnson set to reveal that professional sport will be allowed to return next month as lockdown restrictions are eased.
The Premier League's plans for Project Restart are set to receive a huge boost on Monday
Th Premier League's plans for Project Restart are set to receive a huge boost on Monday
Prime minister Boris Johnson is set to reveal that professional sport can return next month
Prime minister Boris Johnson is set to reveal that professional sport can return next month
On Sunday evening, Mr Johnson addressed the UK regarding the next steps in the battle against the coronavirus but did not mention professional sport.
However, he is expected to give the Premier League permission to carry out their ambitious plans to restart the campaign providing safety conditions are met and the rate of infection throughout the country does not begin to rise again.
The Premier League will hold a crunch meeting involving all 20 clubs on Monday, with neutral venues and relegation high on the agenda.
They require 14 clubs to back their plans in order to resume the season, but the vote will not be held on Monday as officials continue to organise football's return.  
Norwich are among the clubs unhappy about completing the season at neutral venues
Norwich are among the clubs unhappy about completing the season at neutral venues
Premier League clubs will hold a meeting on Monday to discuss how Project Restart will work
Premier League clubs will hold a meeting on Monday to discuss how Project Restart will work
Despite the expected green light from the government, a number of clubs are set to oppose plans to finish the season at neutral venues over fears it will destroy the integrity of the competition.
The bottom six all fear that losing home advantage could prove costly in their battle against relegation, while The Telegraph claim that two unnamed clubs 'significantly higher' in the table are also against the idea.
Over the weekend, Brighton, who sit 15th in the table and just two points above the drop zone, announced that a third player had tested positive for coronavirus and would be be forced to go into a 14-day period of isolation. 
The club's CEO Paul Barber, who has made no secret of his plan to oppose the use of neutral venues, told Sky Sports News: 'Despite all of the measures that we've been taking, where the players haven't been involved in any significant training at all, we've still suffered another player testing positive for the virus.
'There are concerns and I think it's normal for all clubs to have those concerns.
The Premier League hope the current season can continue behind closed doors from June 12
The Premier League hope the current season can continue behind closed doors from June 12
Brighton chief Paul Barber has admitted he has concerns about the Premier League restarting
Brighton chief Paul Barber has admitted he has concerns about the Premier League restarting
'We want to make sure we do everything that we can to ensure protocols are in place and are safe and secure and mitigate the risk as far as we can.
'One of the things we've asked the Premier League for is a complete plan of all of the stages of returning to play.
'First we need to get players back training in small groups, then they need to get involved in some contact training and then training for a match before the match itself.
'So there are lots of stages, it's very complex and there are people at the Premier League working very hard to produce detailed paperwork to move through those stages as safely as possible.'

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