Saracens are facing the serious threat of relegation to the Championship at the end of the season after breaking the salary cap again.
Yet to be confirmed by Premiership Rugby, Saracens have reportedly missed a deadline to provide evidence they would be able to comply with the salary cap for this season.
Rival Premiership clubs were brought to the attention of comments made by Saracens chief executive Ed Griffiths earlier this month, when he admitted either the ‘headcount’ or wage bill at Allianz Park would have to be trimmed to come under the £7m limit.
The salary cap window where payments to players fall under the current season begin in July. The urgency to reduce the wage bill has seen Liam Williams agree a return to Scarlets, while George Kruis, Calum Clark, Michael Rhodes, Alex Lewington, Sean Maitland, Ali Crossdale and Joe Gray are also thought to have their futures under consideration.
A meeting between the 11 other Premiership clubs and Newcastle Falcons, all stakeholders in PRL, on Tuesday is understood to have resulted in an ultimatum being served to Saracens: forfeit the trophies won during the period they were found to have breached the salary cap, or be relegated to the Championship.
Griffiths addressed the development, saying: “Discussions are continuing, and nothing has been finalised but our position remains the same.
“It is clearly in the interests of the league and English rugby that this matter is dealt with as soon as possible, and we are prepared to do whatever is reasonably required to draw that line.”
It is an extraordinary twist in events for Saracens, docked 35 points and fined a maximum £5.36m following a lengthy PRL investigation.
The club have scrambled to call a crisis meeting on Friday morning with the whole squad to outlay the current situation amid concerns over a vast player exodus.
Some agents representing Saracens players are understood to have already been contacted by other clubs, as things in north London descend into turmoil.
With the ongoing need to cut the wage bill, any compensation packages Saracens agree with players will still be tacked into the salary cap under the regulations.
