Man Utd chief Ed Woodward pictured at transfer meeting – did you spot who he was with?

The leading figures in the country are due to meet today to discuss whether the transfer window should be put back until August 31.

They will also discuss whether VAR should be introduced next season and a £5million leaving bonus for Richard Scudamore.

Woodward arrived with Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish in central London just before 11am today.

It is the first meeting since the Premier League appointed Susanna Dinnage as their new chief executive – but her arrival has been overshadowed by a ‘golden goodbye’.

The £250,000-per-club gesture was discussed in a series of phone calls instigated by Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck.

They came on the eve of yesterday’s hastily arranged conference of the 20 clubs to rubberstamp the decision to appoint Dinnage, current head of Animal Planet’s global operation, to the post after she has been released by employers Discovery early in the new year.

But the issue remains ongoing after news of the award sparked outrage on social media by supporters furious at the continued high pricing of Premier League tickets. Scudamore, left, has been a highly successful leader of the richest league in the world, and his hugely incentivised £900,000-a-year salary has been stretched to beyond £2.5m a year with bonuses.

His surprise decision in June to announce his retirement from the post set the Premier League’s recruitment panel led by Buck, Leicester chief executive Susan Whelan and Burnley chairman Mike Garlick on a lengthy search for his replacement.

Dinnage narrowly missed out on becoming chief executive of Channel 4 last year and has worked in television for more than 20 years.

“I’m excited at the prospect of taking on this fantastic role,” she said. “The Premier League means so much to so many people It represents the pinnacle of professional sport and the opportunity to lead such a dynamic and inspirational organisation is a great privilege.

“With the support of clubs and the team, I look forward to extending the success of the league for many years to come.”

The 51-year-old Fulham fan has experience in the crucial field of the three-yearly Premier League TV rights issue from the other side of the fence, having briefly threatened Sky’s stranglehold following Discovery’s takeover of Eurosport.

But her first task will be to see off the threat of a European super league following revelations of secret talks in German magazine Der Spiegel involving some of the Premier League’s top clubs.

Being able to rein in the so-called Big Six has always been one of Scudamore’s most lauded achievements and Dinnage will be helped in this regard with the appointment in due course of a non-executive chairman to work with her.s