The Times reported that some Premier League clubs believe that there may not be a vote on new financial rules next week due to opposition among the 20 teams.
The Premier League said it still plans to hold a vote next Friday, but it needs 14 clubs to support the proposal. One option would be to replace the Profitability and Sustainability Rule (PSR) with a Team Cost Ratio (SCR), which would limit clubs to spending no more than 85% of their revenue on player wages, transfer fees and agent fees.
There are concerns that clubs already firmly established in the top flight, such as Bournemouth, Brighton, Crystal Palace and Brentford, will find the SCR more difficult to comply with than the PSR, thus weakening the competitive balance of the league. Furthermore, any fines for breaching the 85% limit will fall on compliant clubs - almost certainly including the big teams who regularly compete in the Champions League, who are already complying with UEFA's stricter 70% standard.
Under the SCR plan, clubs will be subject to sporting sanctions if they spend more than 115% of their revenue on player and agent fees. Matt Lawton revealed in The Times this week that the Premier League could clash with players over another proposal over "anchoring" - a system that would limit spending to five times the amount of TV and bonuses the Premier League pays bottom clubs.
The Professional Footballers' Association has threatened legal action and will meet with the captains of all 20 top-flight clubs next week. Several clubs, including two from Manchester, are also strongly opposed to the proposal.