There remains one week of the domestic transfer window in which Premier League can deal with EFL clubs for loans or permanent signings.
The Premier League is still awaiting detailed proposals from the Football League relating to a requested £250m ‘bailout’ but Championship clubs are reluctant to impose wage cap limits which have been proposed by the PL as a condition of a loan.
Championship clubs are desperate to raise funds from permanent transfers and/or get their top earners off their wage bill as lower-tier clubs attempt to cut their cloth with the continued absence of supporters and the financial impact of COVID.
The real issue for Championship clubs is how they replace important players in a restricted transfer market which only allows movement of EFL players from the Championship, League One and Two.
One option being actively considered is swap deals where star Championship players join Premier League clubs on permanent deals or season-long loans with promising Academy players swapping places on loan as part of the same deal.
Players like Goncalo Cardoso, Conor Coventry, Nathan Holland, Ali Alese, Harrison Ashby and Emmanuel Longelo could find themselves offered out on loan to help West Ham land targets.