Last updated on .From the section Baseball

Plans to stage regular-season MLB matches in London were abandoned in 2017

The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox are "very close" to agreeing a deal to play two Major League Baseball regular season games in London in June 2019.

The venue would be London Stadium, which is home to Premier League football club West Ham United.

Details are still to be agreed, but if the fixtures take place, they would be the first MLB games hosted in Europe.

Proposals to host 2019 Cricket World Cup matches at London Stadium at the same time have not been affected.

The Cricket World Cup runs from 30 May to 14 July, but it is understood both sports could be accommodated in a short space of time.

A spokesperson for Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: "The mayor remains determined to bring Major League Baseball to London and talks are ongoing with the organisers."

MLB matches have already been staged outside the USA in Mexico, Japan, Puerto Rico, and most recently at Australia's Sydney Cricket Ground in March 2014.

In 2017, MLB abandoned plans to show some regular-season matches in London.

But if games were to go ahead they would follow NFL American football and NBA basketball, both of which have staged regular-season matches in London in recent years.

Red Sox owner John Henry, whose Fenway Sports Group also owns Liverpool FC, told the Associated Press external-link that "this is something the two clubs have discussed for years with MLB".

"I've never been to London," said Yankees manager Aaron Boone. "So, if that's true, maybe I'm going to London. Anytime you can grow our game, I think that's a pretty cool thing."