Clubs will take legal action against the Premier League if it introduces financial rules which will cap their spending regardless of how much they earn, the chief executive of the Professional Footballers' Association has warned.
Top-flight teams are set to vote at a meeting on Nov. 21 on whether to introduce top-to-bottom anchoring (TBA), which would cap the amount any club could spend on their squad at five times the smallest central Premier League broadcasting and prize money payout.
Manchester City, Manchester United and Aston Villa are understood to have voted in April last year against further exploration of the idea. Opponents, including the PFA, say TBA creates a salary cap.
The union has enlisted Nick De Marco KC, who successfully saw off EFL plans to bring in a salary cap in 2020, to defend its interests in this matter but PFA chief executive Maheta Molango has warned a legal challenge from his organisation should be the least of the league's worries.
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He told BBC Radio Four's Today programme: "We have a tendency in football to think that we are above the law. The reality is that you cannot artificially cap someone's ability to make a living as this would just not withstand any legal challenge.
"We've been clear with the Premier League that [anchoring] is something we will oppose, but the Premier League themselves know that, even before the PFA does this, there will be clubs within their own room who will legally challenge the measure.
"The only ones who end up winning are the lawyers. We want to talk about football, we don't want to talk about legal bills.
"There are ways to engage on measures around financial sustainability, but this cannot be imposed unilaterally, it needs to be negotiated and there are mechanisms [to consult] that need to be respected."
Clubs are also expected to vote on whether to introduce squad-cost ratio (SCR) rules which will limit clubs to spending a maximum of 85% of revenue on squad-related costs.
SCR is similar to the system already in place at UEFA level, which limits clubs in its competitions to spending up to 70% of revenue on squad costs such as wages and transfer fees.
Sources close to the debate believe it is currently difficult to call which way a vote on anchoring would go. City, United and Villa seem certain to oppose, while some clubs have expressed concerns over the possibility of the EFL adopting anchoring in the Sky Bet Championship.
The threat of having to contribute further to legal bills should a club -- or clubs -- launch a challenge against anchoring is also in the minds of some club executives.
Clubs may ultimately decide to stick with the existing profitability and sustainability rules (PSR).
Opponents of SCR believe it risks creating a stronger correlation between success and revenue, with the feeling being that PSR aligns better with the three-year player development cycle for those who rely heavily on investing in promising players and then selling them at a profit.
The Premier League has been contacted for comment regarding Molango's remarks.