The Bundesliga is set to receive the green light to return on May 15 with the German government poised to agree on measures to further ease coronavirus restrictions.
It has been reported that measures to control the spread of the coronavirus will be eased in a teleconference with Chancellor Angela Merkel scheduled for Wednesday.
The state premiers are expected to give the green light for large shops to reopen, probably from May 11, and also allow the Bundesliga to resume matches under strict conditions without fans in stadiums.
Germany took a further step on the long road back to normality on Monday, with museums and hairdressers reopening under strict conditions, churches opening their doors and more car factories resuming work.
Germany has been more successful than other large European countries in slowing the spread of the virus ? it estimates that every 100 carriers of the virus now infects only 74 others on average, well below the 100 mark where new restrictions must be imposed.
German clubs have been back in training since last month with restrictions ahead of a planned return to full training and then games this month.
The Bundesliga has been on pause since March, with nine games left to play for most clubs in the division.
The restart could look bizarre, with players facing the possibility of playing in masks and being told not to touch one another in scenarios such as celebrations ? all while playing in front of eerily empty arenas.
It was thought plans for the Bundesliga to return may be delayed after three Cologne players tested positive for coronavirus last week.
But the trio of players were put into a 14-day quarantine and training was able to continue.
A further 10 positive cases were discovered from a total of 1,724 tests carried out on players and staff from cubs in the top two divisions. A second wave of tests will now take place this week.
Former Chelsea forward Salomon Kalou was later suspended by Hertha Berlin after shaking hands with teammates and appearing to make light of the pandemic live on social media.
The Ivory Coast international also filmed himself interrupting a teammate’s test while screening it live on Facebook in an act that was branded ‘absolutely unacceptable’ by the German league.