Premier League propose big Carabao Cup change in £1.8bn 'new deal for football'

The Premier League reportedly want Carabao Cup semi-final ties to be decided over one match rather than two as part of a 'new deal for football'. A proposed agreement with the English Football League is said to effectively double the existing solidarity payment, which is divided among clubs across all three EFL divisions, to £1.8billion.

It would be spread across 10 seasons, and both leagues are reportedly around £27million apart in negotiations. However, there is growing confidence of an agreement.

Premier League clubs have unanimously approved the proposal. EFL sides doing likewise would avoid any involvement by the Independent Football Regulator (IFR).

The Daily Mail reports that another condition of their additional funding would be to progress talks with the National League over new clubs earning League Two promotion every season. They cite sources that claim the Premier League wants to reduce its reliance on ownership funding for EFL clubs.

Controls on how these funds are spent are proposed, including a stop on any increases in player wages. The proposition also requires 15% of the funds to go towards infrastructure.

It also features a 'lifeboat fund' for clubs entering administration in future. They would be loaned £20million to continue paying essential creditors and operating.

The EFL want a tweak to their current divisional split of 80:12:8 between the Championship, League One and League Two. Despite the Premier League seeking no change, a change to 75:15:10 is being sought.

Under the new split, based on a mid-table finish, Championship clubs would receive £8.5million more, rising from £12.1million to £20.6million. That translates to a £1.3million uplift in League One, up from £2.5million to £3.8million, whereas League Two payments would grow by £700k, from £1.8million to £2.5million. A 2% increase in the Premier League transfer levy is to cover the increase, which would go from 4% to 6%.

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The deal is around 17.5% of what all top-flight clubs earn from their collective broadcast rights. That is 6.5% more than the current level, but half of what the EFL initially sought.

EFL clubs were told about the proposal last week. They will make the final decision once it is ready for the league's board to recommend.

The deal has already been under discussion for six weeks now. It is said that the EFL prefers to wait until the IFR's State of the Game report, which is due to be published by them on 12 October.