Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden remains "really hopeful" over the resumption of the Premier League season, though insists the go ahead has not been given yet.
The professional game in England has been suspended since mid-March due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with talks over a top-flight return ongoing as part of what has been labelled 'Project Restart'.
It is believed that clubs have been told that hosting the remaining 92 matches at between eight to 10 neutral venues is the only way to complete the campaign safely, though that idea has drawn opposition from struggling clubs concerned about the impact of losing home advantage.
Player safety concerns and issues regarding testing have also been mooted as potential barriers to the restart plan.
Last month, the government began a series of regular meetings with governing bodies, health experts and sport officials to help determine when athletes could return to action.
Premier League shareholders are scheduled to meet again via video call on Monday.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4 regarding the Premier League on Friday, Mr Dowden said: "They've not got the green light.
"If we can get a plan that works then I'd like us to be able to go ahead with it because I think it would be good for the nation, it would be good for football as a whole.
"I'm really hopeful we can get this up and running but public safety must come first so it's only if we're confident of that that we'll be able to proceed."
