Inter are planning to reach an agreement with players over a reduction or deferral of wages, but it is a path already taken by fellow Serie A clubs Juventus and Roma.

The Nerazzurri are facing considerable financial pressure and owners Suning are looking to substantially reduce the wage bill, with yesterday’s newspaper edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport reporting that President Steven Zhang will meet players individually on Monday to propose cuts.

Zhang is proposing a reduction in salaries but the players are free to reject this, and an alternative option would be to defer two months’ worth of wages, as they did in November and December.

However, Inter would not be the first team to take such measures since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, with last season’s champions Juventus striking an agreement to defer wages by four months earlier in the campaign.

Meanwhile, Roma players agreed to forego a month’s wages and spread the amount of a further three months by deferring.

The newspaper also highlighted the complications of differing contracts at Inter, with Ashley Young’s set to expire in the summer, whilst players such as Romelu Lukaku and Nicolo Barella have multiple years remaining, making it easier to spread the cost.