The idea behind a new European Super League concept was announced back in April, with 12 of the continent's elite clubs joining an annual closed-shop competition that was met with huge backlash to leave the project seemingly dead in the water.
However, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus have been steadfast in their commitment to the controversial project, which will reportedly see a more inclusive reincarnation of the plans come to light.
According to The Athletic, a much bigger competition structure could be built. This would involve the original top tier 'Super League' of 20 teams, with two 20-team feeder leagues immediately sitting below it. Then, there will a third tier involving four more leagues of 20 teams. That means an astonishing total of 140 clubs would be included.
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The biggest argument in favour of such a proposal is that there would be more benefits to the so-called smaller clubs when comparing this to the current UEFA Champions League format.
A smaller team may only play six group stage matches before seeing their European adventure come to an end - should they finish bottom of the group. Whereas, these new Super League proposals would give European clubs a season's worth of competitive fixtures against other clubs from across the continent.
But such plans will not come to fruition if UEFA succeeds in blocking the three clubs from forming this new competition in a European Court of Justice hearing due to take place next year.
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If UEFA fails to block the plans, then it is still a huge ask to get 140 clubs on board to form a coherent competition that has the clout to compete against UEFA's flagship competition.
Whatever happens though, 54 per cent of clubs surveyed by The Athletic believe the Super League "has not gone away", while only 18 per cent thought "that the idea was dead."
And with the possibility of more clubs getting wealthier, more visibility and more power, it would be foolish to consign the Super League to the scrapheap of history.
Topics: UEFA Champions League, European Super League, Barcelona, UEFA, Juventus, Real Madrid