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Portsmouth have reached an agreement with the Premier League to sell players before the end of the season.
The Premier League, which turned down a similar appeal in February, has modified its stance after Pompey’s nine-point penalty for going into administration was ratified.
Administrator Andrew Andronikou has been given the green light to begin negotiations over the sale of the club’s playing assets, although there are certain conditions attached.
A Premier League statement today read: “The Premier League board meeting that convened last week to consider the administration of Portsmouth FC dealt with a number of matters beyond just the application of the sporting sanction (deduction of nine points).
“In accordance with Premier League rules, postponement of the suspension of Portsmouth FC as a member club was conditional on a number of undertakings being given by the administrators.
“These have now been received to the satisfaction of the board and therefore it has decided to allow Portsmouth FC to make player sales under the following circumstances:
“1. Players may be sold to other Premier League clubs but may not play first-team football for the new club before the end of the season.
“2. Players may be sold to a Football League or foreign club, subject to FIFA’s approval.
“3. Portsmouth FC may enter into an agreement with another Premier League, Football League or foreign club that a player will be transferred to that other club in the summer.”
Andronikou has assured supporters that if any players are sold they would be loaned straight back to Pompey until the end of the season.
“We have come to an agreement which means the Premier League has opened the transfer window for me,” Andronikou told The News.
“But the deals would be to sell players now, then they will be loaned back to us until the end of the season, so these players won’t be playing to benefit other teams in the run-in to the end of the season.
“I can assure you the squad will not be changed before the FA Cup semi-final. Or the final, if we get there as we hope.”
Andronikou is currently working on the Company Voluntary Arrangement that will take the club out of administration. There is also the possibility of a takeover at Fratton Park, with several parties in talks with Andronikou.
“We are in discussion with a number of parties,” he told Sky Sports News. “We are no nearer to doing a deal, but the takeover is an option, not one that I necessarily have to observe.”
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