The Premier League’s biggest clubs face a further financial headache and the risk of breaking sponsorship agreements over the cancellation of this summer’s pre-season tours.
Manchester City, Manchester United, West Ham and Crystal Palace have already called off proposed trips abroad due to the coronavirus outbreak.
With Project Restart set to extend the season – and international travel virtually wiped out – other clubs will surely follow. They could be counting the costs well beyond the end of this shutdown.
It puts even greater pressure on teams, who are already scrambling to rescue the current campaign after much of their income vanished overnight.