The Championship's top six clubs are reportedly ready to launch a legal challenge against the Premier League if three teams are not promoted to the top flight amid the coronavirus pandemic.
English football faces an uncertain future in the short term, with all games having been called off until April 3 at the earliest due to the outbreak of the deadly virus.
The Premier League is currently scheduled to resume on April 4, but it not yet known whether that will be possible as the UK prepares to deal with an expected escalation in the number of coronavirus cases.
There have been calls for this campaign to be declared null and void, amid fears it will be impossible to play all remaining games before next season is due to start.
But that would cause huge problems in terms of determining which teams would win titles and who would qualify for European competition, and which teams would be promoted or relegated between the various divisions.
Some observers have suggested that if the season was declared void now, Leeds United and West Brom should be handed a place in next season's Premier League as they currently occupy the Championship's two automatic promotion spots.
But leaders Leeds and second-placed West Brom are respectively only seven and six points ahead of Fulham in third spot, with all teams having 27 points left to play for.
And according to The Times, the current top six - completed by Brentford, Nottingham Forest and Preston - held a secret meeting on Monday to discuss their response should only two teams be promoted from the Championship.
The publication reports that a second meeting is to b held on Tuesday via conference call, involving all 24 Championship clubs.
Promotion to the Premier League is worth an estimated £200million.
The teams from third to sixth place in the Championship would, of course, normally qualify for the play-offs to battle it out for the remaining promotion spot.
