Key figures behind the scenes at Arsenal and Man City face a critical decision after being approached by one of Europe’s biggest clubs about a potentially controversial U-turn.
The two clubs act as the Premier League’s representatives on the European Club Association’s executive board.
The lobbying organisation represents hundreds of clubs and has almost doubled its membership since the botched European Super League launch.
The six English clubs who signed up for the controversial breakaway league were expelled from the ECA but have been allowed back after distancing themselves from the project.
And Vina Venkatesham and Ferran Soriano, CEOs of Arsenal and City respectively, must now decide whether to let one more Super League rebel back into the fold.
Man City and Arsenal likely to let Juventus re-join ECA
Juventus were one of the original 12 Super League clubs but, alongside Barcelona and Real Madrid, have attempted to resurrect the competition in a new format ever since.
Under the banner of A22 Sports Management, the three clubs have promised to double the annual revenue of the Champions League to around £4bn per year.
But as reported by BBC Sport and others, Juventus have now abandoned the plot and asked to re-join the ECA.
The noise from the ECA is that they will almost certainly approve the two-time Champions League winners’ request once all formalities are complete.
In any case, City and Arsenal would open themselves up to accusations of major hypocrisy if they for some reason wanted to block Juve’s application.
Juve’s move will have surprised Arsenal and City
The timing of the Turin-based side’s request to re-join the ECA is something of a shock.
TheSuper League organisers won a major victory last week when a Spanish court applied an earlier European Court of Justice ruling that said FIFA were wrong to block clubs from joining the competition.
But Juve’s withdrawal is likely the final nail in the coffin for the cash grab from Europe’s elite.
City and Arsenal have reiterated that they would under no circumstances take part in a breakaway competition.
Even if they were to reverse their stance, the soon-to-be-implemented independent regulator for English football would probably block their attempts.