The talks for Brexit resume in person as the clock ticks down

LONDON (Reuters) - Face-to-face talks between Britain and the European Union on a trade deal resumed earlier on Saturday as the two sides made a final effort to reach an agreement just five weeks before the end of their current partnership.

The call between UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is currently not planned, a UK source told Reuters, after the Times newspaper announced that the pair will talk in the next 48 hours.

A call between Johnson and von der Leyen is likely to be the first sign of change — either towards an agreement or that negotiations are collapsing.

The Times has also stated that the European Commission has begun to "lean on" EU negotiator Michel Barnier to negotiate an agreement with Britain, raising expectations that an agreement could be reached.

EU negotiator Michel Barnier arrived on Saturday morning in London for negotiations. On Friday night, he said he was "very pleased" to be back in the city and would continue to work with "patience and determination."

Before the UK's transition phase with the EU expires on Dec. 31, Barnier and Britain's negotiator David Frost are working to secure an agreement.

On Friday, both sides said that there were still significant gaps to be resolved, as both called on the other to agree on the three key issues of contention: fishing, state aid and how to settle any potential conflicts.

"Substantial and significant differences" were spoken by Johnson, while Barnier referred to "significant divergences."

On Jan. 31 this year, Britain left the eurozone and a final 'no-deal' withdrawal will snarl borders, spook financial markets and disrupt critical supply chains that extend through Europe and beyond—just as the world is coping with the immense economic cost of the outbreak of COVID-19.

Some media reports on the key sticking point of fishing on Friday indicated that Britain had rejected an EU proposal on the value of the fish quota that European fleets must catch in British waters to be returned to the United Kingdom.

Johnson and von der Leyen were due to discuss finding common ground on fishing quotas, the Times reported.