How the FA and Fifa's contract dispensation could impact Leeds United and players on expiring deals

What happens next for Leeds United is currently unclear as football organisations try to work out how to proceed after the coronavirus outbreak forced the postponement of the league season.

The Whites sit top of the Championship and are primed for a return to the Premier League after 16 seasons outside the top tier.

The season is currently postponed until 3 April, but there are doubts it will return by then due to the severity of the virus.

There has been plenty of speculation as to how the league will continue or how it is decided with the EFL calling for ‘cool heads’.

If the current Championship campaign returns and it is prolonged beyond the end of June, FIFA and the FA may grant special dispensation on contracts, according to The Athletic.

It would allow short-term rolling deals for players out of contract on June 30.

That would mean clubs can sign players to week-by-week contracts. For Leeds that would allow Marcelo Bielsa to keep Gaetano Berardi beyond his current deal.

It is unclear what it means for goalkeeper Illan Meslier and striker Jean-Kevin Augustin who signed loan deals with the option for the club to make it permanent.

A source outlined potential issues for clubs with agents possibly looking to take advantage of the situation.

The Athletic were told: “You can guarantee agents will demand lucrative bonuses for themselves and their player if he is seen as crucial to club’s success for that immediate goal.”