While the talks have been described as “constructive”, it still needs agreement from all sides before a winter break could come into effect.
The Premier League yesterday issued a statement which read: “The Premier League has been in discussions with the FA and EFL for several months regarding the challenges of the increasingly congested English football calendar and ways in which we can work together to ease fixture congestion while also giving players a mid-season break.
“Provided space can be found in the calendar, we are open to this in principle and will continue constructive discussions with our football stakeholders to seek a workable solution.”
Winter break: what does it all mean
Mid-season breaks are common in Europe’s other major leagues but the festive period is typically the busiest time of year for English teams.
Here, we take a look at when several European leagues had their breaks during the 2017-18 campaign.
LaLiga
Teams in the league: 20
Games per season: 38
Dates of break (including cup games): December 23-January 3
Days between league matches: 14
Spain had one of the shorter breaks this season, with just 11 days between the final game of the LaLiga season on December 23 and the last 16 of the Copa del Rey getting under way on January 3. LaLiga resumed three days later.
Bundesliga
Teams in the league: 18
Games per season: 34
Dates of break (including cup games): December 20-January 12
Days between league matches: 25
There were 22 days between the DFB Cup last-16 matches on December 20 and the resumption of the Bundesliga season but the break in Germany has been even longer in previous years – running from December 21 to January 20 last season.
Serie A
Teams in the league: 20
Games per season: 38
Dates of break (including cup games): January 6-January 21
Days between league matches: 15
Italy’s top-flight teams had their winter break after a busy festive schedule, which included games on December 23 and full programmes on the following two weekends.
Ligue 1
Teams in the league: 20
Games per season: 38
Dates of break (including cup games): December 20-January 6
Days between league matches: 22
French sides had 16 days off between their final league games of 2017 and their cup games on January 6.