Premier League football clubs’ shirts are set to feature heart-shaped badges as a way of showing support to the National Health Service when the season resumes.
Sportsmail understands that league officials have contacted each side to inform them of plans to issue clubs with patches, which will be worn on the front of all players’ shirts during the first round of matches. Talks are ongoing, but the move is expected to be confirmed in the coming days.
Sources have also disclosed that the Premier League is open to clubs adding further messages in support of charitable causes on their shirts.
They have asked their sides to let them know if they are planning such a move, so approval can be granted.
The patches are likely to go down well with the players, who launched a collective initiative to raise funds for the NHS in April.
That initiative — named Players Together — was set up by Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson and other Premier League skippers to help NHS workers and those on the front line of the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
Earlier this week, in a move first reported by Sportsmail, the initiative launched a raffle for 500 signed shirts in a campaign named ‘Shirts for Heroes’.
Funds raised via the raffle, which is being run by online auctioneers eBay and includes shirts from all 20 clubs, will go to NHS Charities Together.