The six Chelsea players returning from overseas ahead of proposed Premier League restart

Chelsea duo Christian Pulisic and Willian have been permitted extra time to return from the United States and Brazil respectively
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George Flood1 May 2020

All but two of Chelsea's players currently overseas are expected to return by Sunday amid talks over the possible resumption of the Premier League season amid the coronavirus pandemic.

On Friday, top-flight shareholders joined a conference call to discuss proposals relating to 'Project Restart', while the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) - led by Oliver Dowden - held the first meeting with Public Health England and representatives from a number of elite sporting bodies to step up planning for exactly how sport will resume once it is deemed safe to do so.

92 Premier League matches remain in 2019-20 and while no firm decisions were made on Friday ahead of further consultation with the PFA, LMA, players and managers, clubs - who talked about the viability of returning on June 8 in addition to contentious issues such as completing fixtures at neutral venues - did reaffirm their commitment to completing the season.

The UK Government is due to review lockdown restrictions on May 7.

Earlier this week, with tentative plans for training to resume on May 18 ahead of a June restart, Premier League clubs - several of whom have already partially reopened their training grounds for players to conduct individual sessions adhering to strict social distancing guidelines - put all players given permission to travel back to their home countries on 48-hour standby.

Standard Sport understands that Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga and full-back Marcos Alonso were both permitted to return to their native Spain, while centre-back Andreas Christensen also went home to Denmark during the shutdown.

While those players are expected back by Sunday (May 3), forwards Willian and Christian Pulisic - who returned to Brazil and the United States respectively - have been permitted extra time given the long-haul distances they need to travel.

It is understood that defender Emerson Palmieri - an Italian citizen originally from Brazil - also remains abroad, but it is unclear whether he will also be afforded additional time to return to the UK.

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