New regulations agreed at the summer meeting of the English Football Association mean Premier League clubs will be forced to publish the fees they pay agents for the first time.

Premier League clubs have generally resisted moves to force them to be transparent about how much they pay agents but have accepted the move in exchange for a relaxation in the regulations that prohibited their use of agents.

The Football Association have now relaxed the rule on "dual representation" which means an agent can represent both a player and a club in a transfer deal as long as they have the informed consent of the player.

The new rules come into effect immediately and cover all payments made to licensed agents but will not include consultancy fees paid to unlicensed individuals.

This new development brings the Premier League into line with the Football League, which publishes an annual league table of club spending on middlemen. 

The new rules "will allow supporters to gauge for the first time their club's reliance on middlemen and brokers in the transfer market," according to Paul Kelso in the Daily Telegraph.