Report: England's 2nd tier aiming to return in early June

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The English Football League (EFL) is targeting June 6 as a return date, with matches being played behind closed doors in order to finish the season, sources told Mark Ogden of ESPN.

The EFL includes the second, third, and fourth tiers of English soccer, but not the Premier League. It's envisioning a scenario in which teams get a three-week training window before the resumption of the campaign, Ogden adds.

Other than the Belarusian Premier League, every competition in Europe is currently suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.

There is optimism in EFL circles that the season will be able to resume in early June, according to Ogden. Lockdown procedures remain in place in the United Kingdom, and a return to the pitch would only be sanctioned on the advice of the government.

There have been nearly 90,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the U.K. and 11,346 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.

England's second tier, the Championship, has nine matches remaining on its schedule. Leeds United and West Bromwich Albion currently occupy the two automatic promotion places; Leeds are one point clear atop the table as they look to return to the Premier League for the first time since being relegated in 2004.