The PFA are on a collision course with several Championship clubs after Birmingham urged their players defer up to 50 per cent of their salaries for the rest of the season. 

EXCLUSIVE: EFL clubs want to access funds made available to business as part of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme announced by Chancellor Rishi Sunak last week.

A significant number of Championship, League One and Two players are borrowed from elsewhere, with a number of those approaching the end of their contracts at their parent clubs.

EXCLUSIVE BY MIKE KEEGAN AND DANIEL MATTHEWS: The crisis caused by the coronavirus outbreak has made any likelihood of football being played at the end of next month impossible.

EXCLUSIVE BY ADRIAN KAJUMBA: Championship clubs have been left quickly counting the cost of football's shutdown with some sides already more than £5m down.

EXCLUSIVE BY IAN HERBERT: Many clubs are increasingly sanguine about losing players, because critical cash flow problems mean they will soon be insolvent.

EXCLUSIVE: Football League clubs have put their squads on mandatory leave - but told their British players not to leave the country. EFL have confirmed training is suspended until May 16.

SPECIAL REPORT - JACK GAUGHAN: The coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the need for football to reboot. 'Sustainability' and 'reset' have become buzzwords over the past weeks.

EXCLUSIVE: Football League clubs are growing closer to voting for the introduction of salary caps to safeguard the futures of stricken institutions, Sportsmail can reveal.

EXCLUSIVE BY MIKE KEEGAN: Sources have disclosed that a peace treaty is among a number of measures being discussed by various executives as the COVID-19 crisis continues.

EXCLUSIVE: Championship clubs are pushing increasingly hard for the introduction of a permanent salary cap amid the ongoing battle to force their players into accepting wage cuts.

EXCLUSIVE: Out-of-contract players are going to clash with EFL clubs over plans to ask them to play through July without extra payment. Many are coming to the end of their contracts in June.

The figures come from an annual survey carried out by the EFL titled 'Staff Salary Benchmarking 2019'. Marked 'strictly private and confidential', it was handed to clubs in November.

In a letter to the Football League's Championship, Leagues One and League Two clubs today Parry confirmed the EFL remain in talks with the government about a return date.

Relegation is likely to apply when the Premier League resumes and the FA Cup final has been pencilled in for August 8 at Wembley as more details of football's Project Restart emerged.

EFL chairman Rick Parry has pleaded for a rescue package from the Premier League with clubs financially crippled by the coronavirus crisis. He also branded parachute payments 'evil'.

Florentino Perez is said to be putting steps in place to create a new competition that would be comprised of two, 20 team leagues but Sir Alex can't understand why Premier League clubs would want to join it.

Buried within all of Jurgen Klopp's rant about the Africa Cup of Nations moving back to a January slot was one very simple but important modern truth: Money comes first, everything else follows.

EXCLUSIVE: English football's post-Brexit transfer regulations are forcing Premier League clubs to fast-track moves for Europe's best teenagers this summer.

With the suspension of the Premier League and EFL, Orient have taken it upon themselves to start a 128-team FIFA 20 tournament, with clubs including Man City, Brentford and Derby set to take part.

The sporting calendar has been decimated due to the coronavirus crisis, with it recently being announced that the suspension of football throughout England has now been extended until April 30.

PSG defender Thomas Meunier joked that he'd offer value to top clubs 'even if he has to cut off a leg', but rubbished links to Tottenham. 

If some leagues continue well into the year then FIFA are considering a flexible approach to transfers to allow teams to buy and sell players at different times and ease their financial woes.

MARTIN SAMUEL - CHIEF SPORTS WRITER: At some stage this week, the National League will make a decision on their competitions above tier seven of the pyramid system.

A restart of the Bundesliga could be pushed back a week to May 16 as clubs nervously wait for Chancellor Angela Merkel's verdict. 

EXCLUSIVE BY TOM COLLOMOSSE: The PFA have recruited top QC Nick De Marco as players and clubs try to break the deadlock over proposed wage cuts.

At a dramatic press conference in Downing Street, the PM set out the need for 'drastic action' to tackle the 'fast growth' of the virus across the UK as increased social distancing measures are introduced.

As the UK coronavirus death toll reached 233, with 5,018 people infected, pubs, clubs, restaurants and other social venues have shut their doors to customers in order to stave off the infection.

The PFA are on a collision course with several Championship clubs after Birmingham urged their players defer up to 50 per cent of their salaries for the rest of the season. 

The country's top footballers have spoken out over the Premier League pay-cut row in an extraordinary statement criticising health secretary Matt Hancock

In a video conference call, the Premier League told of the potential losses to clubs, as they look to convince players to take a 30 per cent mix of cuts and deferrals on their wages.

Premier League and EFL players have been told by their clubs to prepare for a mid-May return to training, with a view to the season resuming before the end of June.

It appears that current owner Mike Ashley is edging forever closer to selling the club to a bid led by Amanda Staveley which is backed by the wealth of the Saudi Public Investment Fund.

After the shock revelation on Tuesday afternoon that the Ligue 1 season would not be restarting, clubs have been left to count the cost of the decision. That could leave some open to losing their top talents.

Under the new regime, New South Wales venues that breach liquor laws will be forced to close for up to 14 days if they accumulate four demerit points over a three-year period.

CHARLES SALE - SPORTS AGENDA: Former Prime Minister Tony Blair is the intriguing name mentioned as a possible next chairman of the Premier League during informal discussions.

Key details from 'Project Restart' have emerged with the Premier League 'sending out a restart schedule to clubs' and full training to resume in three weeks.

Premier League club chiefs have come up with a radical plan to save the season. They are ready to play all of the remaining 92 games behind closed doors with every game shown live on TV.

EXCLUSIVE BY MIKE KEEGAN: Sportsmail can reveal that the entire top 10 - with the exception of City and Sheffield United - have submitted a joint application to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

English clubs have serious reservations about resuming European competition this season as UEFA prepare for talks about how to complete their showpiece tournaments.

EXCLUSIVE BY MIKE KEEGAN: The country's leading clubs have reaffirmed their commitment to women's football amid concerns over the impact of the coronavirus crisis on it.

AHEAD OF THE GAME: Chelsea players' U-turn on accepting pay cuts last weekend followed pressure from players at other Premier League clubs

It appears that current owner Mike Ashley is edging forever closer to selling the club to a bid led by Amanda Staveley which is backed by the wealth of the Saudi Public Investment Fund.

Former Manchester City defender Omar Elabdellaoui is being lined up for a return to England by a string of Premier League clubs. Leicester and Watford are among the sides monitoring him.

CHRIS FOY'S WORLD OF RUGBY: It's a fascinating conundrum which clubs are wrestling with more than ever - do England players offer value for money in this era of top-end wage inflation?

CHRIS FOY - WORLD OF RUGBY: Very few sports have the monetary resilience to withstand this crisis and rugby certainly isn't one of them.

WORLD OF RUGBY: When the RFU released their annual report, the document contained an opening page which stated: 'Our purpose: to encourage rugby, and its values.' 

MATT HUGHES - AHEAD OF THE GAME: Premier League sides who give significant playing time to England-qualified players, could be given greater leeway to sign more foreign players after Brexit.

SIMON JONES: West Brom's highly rated young forward Rayhaan Tulloch is open to staying at the club despite failing to agree terms on a new contract.

Championship clubs are determined to resume playing and finish the season no matter what - even if it means completing the remaining fixtures behind closed doors.