Almost half of Championship clubs are close to agreeing a player wage deferral deal, according to reports.
Birmingham City and Leeds United were the first clubs to announce agreements with their players and key members of staff to defer wages in order to ensure non-playing staff were paid in full.
Similarly, Bristol City followed suit on Monday by announcing a 30% deferral, whilst Millwall have placed their players on furlough.
According to the Daily Mail, almost half of the clubs in the Championship are close to striking a deal, with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic being felt financially with each passing week.
Queens Park Rangers, Cardiff City, Blackburn Rovers, Hull City and Wigan are among those reported to have held positive discussions in recent days.
The English Football League and Professional Footballers’ Association has already proposed a 25 per cent wage deferral for League One and League Two, but Championship clubs have been advised to take their negotiations in-house.
One major issue preventing some clubs in agreeing on deals with their players is the insistence that any deferrals will only be repaid once clubs are allowed to play in front of crowds again.
However, it was reported on Wednesday that EFL chairman Rick Parry is fearful fans won't be allowed back in stadiums until 2021.
"There is a lot of uncertainty. We don't know when the season will be concluded, if it is," Burton Albion chairman Ben Robinson told Sky Sports' The Football Show.
"An even bigger concern is about next season. In the meeting yesterday, Rick Parry, the EFL chairman, said that he thought the season might not start until next year when the games are played with fans attending. You can imagine the financial implications of that are considerable.
"He didn't think crowds would be in stadiums until 2021, that was his personal view. It could take as long as that to get gate receipts flowing back into clubs."
