Watford face a damaging financial headache if they are relegated as a number of their stars have their salaries ring-fenced, Sportsmail can reveal.
The majority of players at Vicarage Road are contractually obliged to take pay cuts of up to 50 per cent if the club are relegated to the Championship this week. But their biggest earners are not bound by those deals.
The prospect of players continuing to receive Premier League money while playing in the second tier would become a major strain on the club’s finances.
It would almost certainly mean Watford looking to sell their highest earners — although parachute payments could make it easier to sustain the existing wage bill in the short term.