Villas-Boas is trying to salvage his managerial career in France but has insisted there is no chance of a return to England in the future and would prefer another spell in Asia, after managing in China.

The Premier League's biggest clubs face a further financial headache and the risk of breaking sponsorship agreements over the cancellation of this summer's pre-season tours.

A number of stars, such as Liverpool's Adam Lallana, Manchester City's David Silva and Chelsea's Willian are out of contract on June 30 and will be free to negotiate with new clubs if no deal is offered.

With all the relevant authorities set for talks within the next week about the next phase for the Premier League, Sportsmail looks at how the traditional 'Big Six' have been faring.

Newcastle drew Leicester in the only all-Premier League tie in the EFL Cup second round. Nottingham Forest were handed a home tie against arch-rivals Derby.

Football fans will notice the familiar return of the classic winter ball this weekend, as the Premier League officially ticks over into winter season.

The Championship has turned into a melting pot for young, homegrown stars. Here Sportsmail look at the Championship stars that could be on their way to the Premier League this January.

A look at the all-decade Premier League table, which includes the 37 sides to compete in the top flight across the last 10 seasons, has shown the stranglehold Manchester has had in recent years.

Sportsmail looks at what each Premier League club needs in January, who could be moved on to free up space in the squad and who managers are targeting as the window opens for business.

The January transfer window is entering its final week and managers are scrambling with their chairman to get those final deals over the line. Here's the players every team are looking at.

Thanks to lower average speeds compared to much of Europe, Britain came 23rd out of 29 countries in Western Europe for value for money with a cost of 82p per 1Mbps of bandwidth, per month.

EE recorded the fastest median download speed across the UK at an impressive 36.5Mbps - nearly double as fast as the second best speed of 19.8Mbps, delivered by Vodafone.

The show, which features the Sportsmail columnist Peter Crouch, will launch at the start of the new football season and be released on Tuesday after each round of Premier League games.

Amazon Prime will kick-off their sport coverage of Premier League tomorrow as they rival Sky Sports and BT Sports in December for UK coverage. Here's the full TV fixtures for Christmas.

Liverpool were 25 points clear of second-place Manchester City before the coronavirus outbreak brought matches to a halt, and key to that success was Senegalese forward Sadio Mane.

The Liverpool full back was defeated by tournament favourite Diogo Jota, with the Wolves ace securing victory in the online showpiece after yet another golden goal strike.

Newcastle United's ambitions may be about to be transformed by their £300m Saudi takeover. But there are plenty of cautionary tales from previous foreign owners in the Premier League.

Premier League clubs have warned their players they must be ready to train at 48 hours' notice amid Government plans to quarantine all arrivals to the UK for up to 14 days.

A handful of Premier League clubs have re-opened their training grounds this week to allow players to come and complete fitness work while observing strict social distancing rules.

Tottenham have been named the most valuable football club in the Premier League, according to an in-depth university study.

As doubts grow about the viability of playing out the rest of the Premier League season, a number of methods have been mooted to complete the campaign. L'Equipe proposed their own.

The Manchester City striker admitted health concerns are at the forefront of minds among squads set to restart training next month despite the death toll from coronavirus staying high.

The Premier League holds a pivotal meeting this morning to decide on the details of 'Project Restart', with plans to resume the season to be ironed out before they seek Government approval.

The concept of finishing the Premier League abroad has now been suggested several times, and Gary Neville feels certain places within Europe would have the capacity to do so.

Football is currently suspended but some clubs have returned to isolated training with the Premier League hoping they can resume the season in June.

Club captain Jordan Henderson, full-backs Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson and goalkeeper Alisson were the other members of Jurgen Klopp's side to make the 20-man squad.

Jamie Carragher believes that even Liverpool's heroics this season would not match Leicester's remarkable Premier League title win in 2016 under Claudio Ranieri.

Kevin De Bruyne remains confident that Manchester City will overturn their two-year Champions League ban but says if they don't he will have to consider his future and 'make a final decision' .

The English top flight has targeted June 13 as a possible date of return after weeks of coronavirus shutdown, with players such as De Buryne forced to keep their fitness levels up at home.

A Saudi regime with bottomless pockets on Tyneside could signify a changing of the guards when it comes who will be challenging for Premier League titles in years to come.

This year Dortmund face another battle to cling onto Jadon Sancho, amid interest from Premier League sides, but how have past players from the German side fared in the English top flight?

Liverpool lead second-place Manchester City by 25 points, and Hugo Lloris insists 'everyone' within the game wants to see the 2019-20 campaign reach its natural conclusion on the pitch. 

Amid unhappiness amongst relegation-threatened clubs on home advantage being lost, the Premier League made it clear last Friday that all 20 grounds could be used next season.

Premier League clubs were due to to reconvene on Friday to vote on plans to revive the season. However, they will now wait until Boris Johnson reveals the next phase of the UK's lockdown to meet

Premier League clubs fear that fans will break coronavirus social distancing guidelines even if football returns at neutral grounds. Some clubs believe viewing parties will also threaten guidelines

It's likely that the remaining 92 Premier League matches will be played at 'neutral' venues if the season can resume. But which of the top-flight stadiums is best equipped to stage the games?

Top-flight officials are considering a number of measures to improve the safety of players and staff amid the coronavirus crisis, including neutral venues and extra substitutes in every game.

Manchester United's top-four hopes would be bolstered, while Newcastle's fight against relegation would be worse if Premier League matches were shortened from the start this season.

Aguero joined City in 2011 and became the highest scoring overseas player in Premier League history in January after eclipsing Thierry Henry's record of 175 goals.

The defender has been training at home since March with the nation lockdown down during the coronavirus outbreak, and now many teams are preparing to return to training with their clubs.

The Premier League's biggest clubs face a further financial headache and the risk of breaking sponsorship agreements over the cancellation of this summer's pre-season tours.

A number of stars, such as Liverpool's Adam Lallana, Manchester City's David Silva and Chelsea's Willian are out of contract on June 30 and will be free to negotiate with new clubs if no deal is offered.

Jurgen Klopp's starting XI in Liverpool's last nine games could be the deciding factor in the Premier League European qualification and relegation battles this season, a club executive claims.  

MATT HUGHES - AHEAD OF THE GAME: The Premier League may let TV cameras into dressing rooms and allow broadcasters to conduct interviews at halftime if the season is resumed.

A number of Premier League players have already spoken publicly about their concerns upon returning to training and then match action due to fears that come with the coronavirus pandemic.

With all the relevant authorities set for talks within the next week about the next phase for the Premier League, Sportsmail looks at how the traditional 'Big Six' have been faring.

Premier League and Championship clubs are poised to enhance their squads as the January transfer window creates a hive of comings and goings around Europe.

We're just over halfway through the January transfer window with clubs across Europe battling it out for their mid-season targets before the end of the month. 

ADAM SHERGOLD AT THE PTS ACADEMY STADIUM: Wayne Rooney was the centre of attention but Northampton proved themselves far from starstruck as they matched Derby blow for blow.

The Wales international links up with former international colleague Carl Robinson, who was appointed Jets head coach earlier this month, until the end of the season.