The Football Association have reportedly agreed to a two-week winter break for Premier League clubs.
It is planned for the first winter break to take place during the 2019/2020 season ahead of the 2020 European Championships in the summer.
A proposed winter break for the Premier League moved a step closer today with a proposal for the FA Cup, which would be the start of the fifth-round, to be played during a midweek set of fixtures and also without the need for a replay.
What you need to know
From February 2020, the Premier League is set to follow in the footsteps of La Liga and the Bundesliga by accommodating a winter break into their schedule.
The Football Association, Premier League and Football League are all reportedly close to an agreement to play the FA Cup fifth-round during the week with no replays and guarantee a winter break during the early part of February.
In recent years, many have suggested following the examples set across Europe by taking a winter break during the Christmas set of fixtures but many fans, managers and pundits have been set against that happening in England.
A staggered break in play during February would mean all 20 Premier League clubs would receive a minimum of 13-days break between games yet no weekend would go without Premier League football.
Five Premier League games would take place on one weekend and the other five on the following weekend, ensuring at least a 13-day break for clubs.
Due to a larger fixture list, the Football League would not be affected by the break as every weekend is needed to complete the season.
Not everyone is sold
For smaller clubs, the idea of scrapping the FA Cup replay fixture is cause for concern.
Newport County manager Michael Flynn believes removing the possibility of a replay takes the romance of the cup out of the game for lower league sides.
"With the FA Cup games being played midweek and with no replays it's going to hit the smaller clubs a little bit harder," Flynn stated.
The Exiles are a recent prime example of how a cup replay can dramatically change a clubs financial position.
Following their FA Cup replay against Tottenham at Wembley, the club has reportedly received £900k.
The decision now rests in the hands of the Football Association as it looks more and more likely the proposal will go ahead.