European football governing body UEFA is expected to sign off on a significant expansion of the Champions League this month in an attempt to rebuff recurring rumors of a breakaway Super League.

Andrea Agnelli, the chairman of the European Club Association, confirmed during a general assembly of the organization on Monday that the final details of the expansion plan "will be resolved in the next couple of weeks."

According to multiple media outlets, the new format would see the abolishment of the current "round-robin" group stage comprising eight groups of four clubs, each playing the other three teams home and away, a total of six matches leading into the knockout stage.

Instead, 36 teams would play 10 matches against opponents of varying strengths in a "Swiss system." Results in these matches would form an overall table which, along with some two-legged play-offs, would determine qualification for the knockout rounds.

"My attention for quite a long time has been to make sure we find a solution with UEFA," said Agnelli, who is also chairman of Juventus. "We had fights with [UEFA president] Alexander Ceferin in the autumn months because we wanted to find the balance between continental and domestic competition. It's about having a balanced competitive landscape."

BBC revealed in an earlier report that the Premier League has pushed back against the Champions League expansion due to the effects on the heavily congested calendar, but Agnelli suggested that the English top flight will eventually have to compromise.

"If we look back in time the Champions League had four more games than it has today," Agnelli explained. "I think the balance that we are trying to strike is one-third international [European competition] and two-thirds domestic. We can take a look at the overall calendar, we have countries like England with a maximum number of games at 53, If I'm not mistaken, Germany is 43 and so is Italy."

"We do think that currently for competitive balance purposes 20 teams in leagues are too many. There is an overall element that could actually be worked out altogether in the interests of everyone," he added,

Agnelli also talked about the potential changes to the current transfer system.

"We could think of a double path transfer system, where clubs qualifying for specific tiers of international competition wouldn't be allowed to buy each other's players," he observed. "That would improve the indirect solidarity to other clubs and mean no triple-figure transfers amongst Champions League participating clubs. These are elements we are discussing."

Meanwhile, former Dalian FC talisman Marek Hamsik has returned to Europe from China to join Swedish giants IFK Goteborg.

"The medical test is passed, the contract has been signed," the club said on their official website, announcing the arrival of the 33-year-old Slovakia legend.

"Marek is here to perform, and he is very motivated. He embodies much of what IFK Goteborg want to be," sporting director Pontus Farnerud added. "His abilities, together with his charisma, professionalism and passion, makes him unique."

Hamsik moved to Chinese Super League in 2019 after a splendid stint in Serie A where he scored 121 goals in 520 games for Napoli in over a decade. His contract with Dalian was terminated by mutual consent last week, paving the way for his widely expected transfer to Sweden.