Premier League outlines ambitious plan to have fans back for last two rounds

The Premier League are reportedly in talks with the government over staging the last two rounds of league games with fans in attendance at a reduced 25% capacity.

Under the government's roadmap, fans are set to return to sporting events from May 17, with football stadiums allowed to welcome up to 10,000 people or be at 25% capacity.

The final round of Premier League fixtures are due to be staged on May 23, meaning they could be played out in front of a limited number of fans.

According to a report from the Daily Mail, the Premier League are calling for the penultimate round of games to also be staged in front of fans but without prior test events.

Test events are scheduled to take place in April and May, but the report claims clubs believe they are unnecessary because most of them were able to successfully host up to 2,000 fans back in December.

The government are said to be receptive to the Premier League's stance and will not demand that every club holds a test event before the scheduled return.

The Carabao Cup and FA Cup finals have been offered as test events, with a statement from the EFL saying: "With the Carabao Cup Final taking place on 25 April and the culmination of the regular EFL season on 8/9 May, we look forward to engaging with the Government about its pilot programme".

Previous reports have claimed the penultimate round of fixtures could be moved to allow every club to welcome fans back before the end of the season.

Speaking last month, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta welcomed the return of supporters, saying: "I cannot wait to have the fans back in the stadium.

"The energy that they are able to create the motivation that they create the passion that they can show for our players I think it’s something that we’ve really been missing. Hopefully we can have them very soon."

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