Summer transfer window to open a month early as Premier League scramble to get deals done

The transfer window is set to open a month earlier than usual.

It is understood officials have opted to pull the opening back to next Thursday in order to comply with a Fifa rule which requires at least one window to open for 12 weeks.

The Premier League had already announced that they would close the window on August 9, prior to the start of next season, in order to avoid disruption once the campaign is under way.

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The Football League, whose window for permanent signings has already reopened, have also confirmed they will comply with the August 9 pre-season deadline.

Fourteen of last season's 20 top-flight clubs voted in favour of an earlier deadline last November, after the campaign started with uncertainty over the likes of Jamie Vardy and Gylfi Sigurdsson.

The move was welcomed by Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho, who had said: "As as a football man, as somebody who wants to work with the team, work with players - I would prefer the window to close as soon as possible."