Rovers have discussed the possibility of the playing squad deferring their wages – but all staff have been paid in full for March.

Chief executive Steve Waggott told the Lancashire Telegraph this week that ‘everything has to come in to consideration’ as the club look to come through the financial uncertainty of the coronavirus outbreak.

The EFL introduced a £50m relief package that saw an advancement on the remaining broadcast monies owed to clubs for the 2019/20 season, with Championship clubs receiving around £800,000, with loans of almost £600,000 also able to be applied for.

But with no matches on the horizon for the foreseeable future, revenue streams have taken a hit, with Waggott calling for a relaxation of Financial Fair Play and Profit and Sustainability rules for this season to allow owners to continue to support clubs to the necessary levels.

Any decision to defer player wages at Rovers would be to create funds to continue paying non-playing staff and suppliers during the current crisis.

Staff at the club have been told discussions are due to the unprecedented situation the club finds itself in, rather than underlying issues with the club’s owners Venky’s.

Waggott said: “Once the suspension period was extended until April 30, and there is an expectation that will be even longer, this triggered discussions around conserving cash in various aspects of the business in order to ensure the payment of wages for as long as possible.”

Rovers will explore all possible avenues open to them, including the available Government schemes, to continue paying all staff.

India, home to Rovers’ owners, is currently in the middle of a 21-day lockdown because of the country’s concern over the virus, with shares in Venky’s chicken business having fallen by nine per cent.

But the owners remain committed to funding the club, as it has for nine years, with talks over player wage deferrals owing to the current financial situation surrounding the game.

Championship leaders Leeds United have already taken the decision to defer player wages for the foreseeable future, to support the non-playing staff at the club, while Birmingham and Brentford are two other clubs to have raised the idea.

It was hoped that there would be an arbitrary decision made across the league, following discussions with the PFA and EFL, but Leeds made their plans clean during an announcement on Wednesday.

A proposal was put forward to cap players’ wages at £6,000-per-week during a conference call of chief executives last week, according to The Athletic, but a percentage-cut of all wages was the more preferred option for most clubs.

Championship clubs have so far seen eight of their remaining nine games postponed, with no fixtures scheduled to take place before April 30.

However, it is understood any play before the end of May is unlikely, with another EFL decision on the April 30 date expected in the coming days.

A football finance expert suggested Championship clubs can expect to lose, on average, around £865,000 of match day revenue, based upon the postponement of four home fixtures.

In the same period, they will spend on average around £7m in wages, meaning the current EFL rescue package won’t go far enough.

Speaking to the Lancashire Telegraph on Wednesday, Waggott said his focus was to ensure that wages would be paid in full for as long as possible.

He said: “I think as the time and days pass by, everything has to come in to consideration. For the benefit of all, everyone has to consider their position and how they can assist in making sure we can get everyone through it and come out the other end in one piece.

“Players aren't exempt from that, and shouldn’t be exempt from that, but they have contracts, and the PFA will be key, along with the other governing bodies, such as the Premier League, FA and EFL, it’s got to be done across the board.

“As and when a discussion of that nature has to be held everyone in the country is having the same discussion.

“The suspension of the programme was initially to April 3 and has now been extended, we have no income coming in, commercial activity or ticketing.

“Therefore the cash I’ve got I’ve got to try and pay everyone for as long as possible going forward.

“We’re looking at all the Government schemes and initiatives that are going on, but it changes every day so we have to ensure we are operating the business at a minimalistic level so things like maintenance like the grounds, we’re doing it on a low-key level, but we have to have them ready for if and when normal service resumes, when players are allowed to come back and train full time and then crank up for games.”