FIFA have reached a decision to delay the transfer window and culmination of expiring player contracts until the end of the current season.
A number of players are due to become free agents on June 30, officially the last day of the 2019-20 season.
But with the campaign not likely to resume until June at the earliest, FIFA has now called for the contract end dates to be pushed back as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
They have also suggested the summer transfer window should fall between the revised end dates for the current season and the start of the 2020-21 campaign.
In an official statement released on Tuesday, FIFA said: "With the current suspension of play in most countries, it is now obvious that the current season will not end when people thought it would.
"Therefore, it is proposed that contracts be extended until such time that the season does actually end.
"A similar principle applies to contracts due to begin when the new season starts, meaning the entry into force of such contracts is delayed until the next season actually does start."
A task force led by FIFA Vice-President and chairman of the FIFA Football Stakeholders Committee, Vittorio Montagliani, came to the decision after ongoing discussions with numerous representatives, including those of affected clubs, players and leagues.
Affected clubs and players are being encouraged to "work together to find agreements and solutions during the period when football is suspended."
Addressing the issue of player transfers, the statement added: "With regard to transfer windows, again, it is necessary to adjust the normal regulatory position to the new factual circumstances.
"Accordingly, FIFA will be flexible and will allow the relevant transfer windows to be moved so they fall between the end of the old season and the start of the new season."
As it stands it is unclear when football action will return to Europe's top leagues.
Countries such as Spain and Italy have been worse affected by the Covid-19 virus than the UK, but have been in lockdown for a longer period.
This could mean they return to normal quicker than the UK, which in turn could see their sporting events restart sooner.
However FIFA has made it clear this will not have a knock-on affect to the transfer window.
Their statement concluded: "FIFA will try to ensure, where possible, an overall level of coordination and will also bear in mind the need to protect the regularity, integrity and proper functioning of competitions, so that the sporting results of any competition are not unfairly disrupted."
FIFA president Gianni Infantino said: "But before these times come, one thing must be clear to everyone, especially now: health comes first, well before football."
