Premier League transfer embargo could follow wage cuts: Neville

Former Manchester United captain Gary Neville believes the Premier League may force clubs who are looking to cut player wages during the coronavirus crisis to accept transfer embargoes.

Clubs in England's top-flight have requested players take up to a 30 percent pay hit in cuts and deferrals to help soften the estimated ?1 billion ($1.2 billion) blow of potentially failing to complete the season.

A number of Premier League clubs, including Tottenham, have also been fiercely criticised for using public money to shore up the wages of non-playing staff before cutting the salaries of players.

Liverpool quickly reversed their decision to use the UK government's furlough scheme, which guarantees 80 percent of wages up to a maximum of ?2,500 a month, after a backlash from supporters and the media last week.

Neville said Tottenham striker Harry Kane would be the "perfect" signing for his old club Manchester United, but dismissed speculation over the England captain's future in the current climate.

"The Premier League spent ?1.4 billion last summer on transfers and the previous three summers they also spent over ?1 billion. If you're trying to get 30 percent pay cuts from existing players, you may have to put a transfer embargo in place," Neville told Sky Sports.

"Transfers are things the fans love, and we love players moving around, but it does seem to me to be awry when we've got such a behind-the-scenes war going on with respect to players taking cuts, the clubs needing support, and then in the next breath you've got a ?200 million transfer speculation going on."