An all-important safety meeting which will determine if the Merseyside derby takes place at Goodison is being scheduled for next week.
The ECHO has been told that the Ground Safety Advisory Group are looking to hold their next meeting on Monday or Tuesday, as the debate over where the game between Everton and Liverpool will take place on June 20 continues.
All of Everton's planning up to this point has focused on the game taking place, behind-closed-doors, at Goodison.
But the threat of the 236th derby being moved to a neutral venue remains.
The head of football policing in the UK, Mark Roberts, last week said he was recommending a "small number" of the remaining 92 games of the Premier League season take place at neutral venues - including the derby.
Hope remains that the clash will take place at Goodison and a meeting of the 20 clubs on Thursday is likely to offer Everton and Liverpool more 'clarity' on the issue.
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But for the game to be given the official go-ahead at Goodison, a safety certificate has to be issued by the Ground Safety Advisory Group and a meeting is in the process of being arranged for early next week.
The video conference call will be chaired by Cllr Wendy Simon with representatives of both clubs, the emergency services and fan groups part of the discussions.
