Friday 17 January 2020 11:13, UK
Saracens are facing automatic relegation from the Premiership if they fail to meet the salary cap this season.
The club are under increasing pressure, following a meeting of the clubs on Tuesday, to prove they are within the £7m-pound limit for this season.
In November, the Premiership champions were docked 35 points and fined £5.3m for breaching the cap for the past three seasons.
Speculation has since remained over whether or not they can avoid a breach for the current campaign given the number of international players in their squad.
It is understood that the other Premiership clubs are demanding Saracens now prove they are within budget or face relegation.
The club believe it is in the interests of the league, as well as English rugby as a whole, to resolve the issue as soon as possible.
The Saracens squad were called to a meeting at their training ground on Friday morning to discuss the club's ongoing breach of the salary cap and that meeting, called by chief executive Ed Griffiths, lasted less than an hour and a half.
Griffiths has been calling around other Premiership clubs trying to offload players and get the club under the £7m salary cap, but many clubs are either unable to help, given how close they are to the cap themselves, or unwilling to help, such is the animosity towards Saracens and their breaching of the rules.
One possibility, which may have been discussed as this morning's meeting, is whether the players are prepared to take a cut in salary to bring the club under the cap.
Discussions are ongoing between Premier Rugby and the other clubs, and nothing has been finalised.
Wales full-back Liam Williams will leave Saracens this summer to rejoin Scarlets but director of rugby Mark McCall has admitted he could leave sooner to get his salary off the books.
Asked if Williams could join Scarlets before the end of the season, McCall said: "I'd say there is a possibility.
"It was Liam's decision first up that he was going to go back to the Scarlets, back to Wales, and that was for family reasons.
"We understood that completely and we don't regret him, and he doesn't regret, coming to Saracens. He has been brilliant.
"He was always going to go back to Wales regardless of the salary-cap decision."
England international Alex Lozowski is another player who will become a free agent at the end of the season but he intends to see out his contract.
"I don't think I will be leaving before the end of the season. No way," Lozowski said.
"My job is that I'm contracted until the end of the season, at least. I have to put my best foot forward and show why I deserve to be given a contract."
Saracens, who are also the reigning European Champions, face Racing 92 on Sunday at Allianz Park.
Victory would almost certainly mean they progress to the last eight of the Champions Cup, which could lead to an extraordinary situation were to go on and win it again but find themselves relegated from the Premiership.
