A dementia fund – led by the Premier League – is close to being agreed, Mail Sport understands.
Talks over vital help for ex-players suffering from neurodegenerative diseases have been ongoing for some time. Agreement on many areas has now been reached.
A new charity is expected to be launched and – crucially – long-term residential care costs are set to be covered.
The fund was a key part of Mail Sport's campaign which called on football to tackle its dementia crisis.
However, the Players' Foundation – the controversial charity arm of the PFA that has around £60m sitting in the bank – are not expected to be a contributor in the first instance.