Fresh hopes there could be up to 10,000 fans inside St James's Park for Newcastle United v Sheffield United clash

The PA news agency are reporting the penultimate round of Premier League matches will be pushed back so each team can play a home game in front of up to 10,000 fans.

All games have so far been played behind-closed-doors this season due to the ongoing pandemic.

Newcastle – battling against the drop – host the Blades before the final game of the season away to fellow relegation rivals Fulham.

The 37th round of fixtures is set to be played on May 18 and 19, the day after the third step of the Government’s coronavirus road map is scheduled to start.

From May 17 lockdown restrictions are set to ease further, with larger outdoor venues able to welcome 25 per cent of capacity or 10,000 people, whichever is smallest.

Almost as soon as the road map was published on February 22, the league was understood to have concerns over the impact of only the final round of games on May 23 being played in front of fans and had been working towards rescheduling round 37.

The Premier League has informed clubs about the decision to switch, but it is not expected to confirm the plans until broadcast arrangements are fully in place, report PA.

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters stated last month that he felt a return to full stadia for the start of the 2021-22 season in August was “an achievable goal”.

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