Arsenal players are close to agreeing to a plan that would see their wages reduced by up to 12.5 per cent per month over the next year, reports The Athletic's David Ornstein.

The deal was agreed to following the intervention of manager Mikel Arteta. Defender Hector Bellerin has represented the players in talks.

The cuts will be on a sliding scale that is dependent on whether or not the Gunners qualify for next season's Champions League. When the Premier League season was paused, Arsenal sat in ninth place on 40 points, eight points behind Chelsea in fourth.

Reaching a deal seemed unlikely as early as last weekend when 14 of 27 Arsenal players were against the plan after a poll of the squad was taken over WhatsApp. The group preferred a 20 per cent pay deferral much like the one Southampton players were undertaking. Players did not understand why a club the size of Arsenal was asking for wage reductions.

Arteta, 38, became one of the early faces of the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis in the United Kingdom. Arsenal announced that Arteta had tested positive on Mar. 12. Arteta announced his recovery from the illness on Mar. 23.