Leeds United are among 15 Championship clubs threatening a breakaway from the Football League after showdown talks last week, according to the Sun.
The newspaper name the Yorkshire giants as one of three major clubs, along with Aston Villa and Derby County, spearheading the fight with governing body over the planned new television deal with Sky Sports.
The Sun report the Championship big hitters want a bigger share of the £119million-a-year five-year package that is due to take effect next season and which was due to be rubber-stamped at the end of last month.
OPINION
Leeds owner Andrea Radrizzani has only been at the helm for 18 months but is certainly stirring things up in the Football League. It is understandable that United and their chairman, something of a specialist in TV rights, feel hard done by. Leeds are the most attractive club in the Championship for broadcasters Sky Sports, with almost all of their matches this season already moved for television coverage as the Marcelo Bielsa revolution brings in viewers at an even higher rate than before. Leeds earned a relatively puny £7.5million in 2017 under the EFL television deal, compared to a guaranteed £100million for the team that finishes bottom of the Premier League. Talk about a gulf. The new TV deal, which was negotiated last season, climbs from a total of £90million-a-year to £119million. League One and League Two clubs, needless to say, have given it their backing, and they can vote it through even if the Championship clubs refuse to play ball. It is difficult to envisage any scenario other than the second-tier big guns backing down and the TV deal going through.