Members of five leading Premier League clubs met on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the creation of a European Super League.
Manchester United's Ed Woodward, Arsenal's Ivan Gazidis, Manchester City’s Ferran Soriano, Liverpool’s Ian Ayre and Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck all met with American billionaire Stephen Ross according to The Sun.
Ross currently runs the International Champions Cup competitions that see European clubs travel around the world in glamorous pre-season friendlies. Last summer, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester City, Inter Milan and AC Milan took part in the tournament in America, Australia and China.
Chelsea played Barcelona in the International Champions Cup in Washington last summer. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
If the deal were to be completed it would surely spell the end of the Champions League. The teams would stay in the Premier League due it's large television rights pot.
A European Super League scenario would guarantee some of Europe's biggest clubs a seat at Europe's premier club competition every year. Manchester City and Arsenal look to be the only two clubs that were represented at the meeting to be in next year's Champions League.
The move by the five clubs could be seen as a bargaining chip in trying to get more money on a regular basis from European competition. Clubs like Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain would be expected to join the English clubs in the continental competition.
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