Premier League extends expiring contracts of star players

As contracts of some star players are due to expire 30th June, the Premier League has agreed to extend the contracts until the end of 2019/20 season so that players would be able to complete the current campaign.

There were fears that players like Chelsea’s Willian and Tottenham’s Jan Vertonghen whose contracts expire by the end of June would not be able to complete the campaign.

As the football might not resume in England until about June 19, the season might well run into July. As a result, top-flight officers have reached an agreement to allow clubs to sign agreements in order to temporarily address the issue.

The Premier League however stated that extension of contracts should be based on agreement between the two parties – clubs and players – which must be reached by June 23 and can that can last for as long as necessary to complete the ongoing campaign.

“At Monday’s Shareholders’ meeting, Premier League clubs unanimously agreed to be allowed to enter into short-term contract extensions with players whose deals are due to expire on 30 June of this year,” the Premier League said in a statement.

“As the UK government indicated on Monday its willingness for live sport to return behind closed doors from June 1, the Premier League is exploring paths to resuming the 2019/20 season after this date.

“Clubs were concerned over expiring player contracts and registration issues posed by the potential of the 2019/20 season extending beyond 30 June. So, it was agreed by all shareholders that clubs and players can mutually agree to extend their contracts beyond 30 June until the end of the season,” the statement added.

Speaking about the need for extension of players’ contracts, Ricard Masters, the Premier League chief executive further said, “What we decided today is to ensure as far as possible that clubs complete the season with the same squad they had available prior to the suspension of the campaign.

“Players can extend their contracts beyond 30 June until the end of the season, but it must be agreed by both parties.”