Major League Soccer (MLS) looks to be heading towards an unprecedented lockout amid an ongoing economic dispute between the North American league and its players union, reports, www.sportspromedia.com/.

Both sides are engaged in talks over plans to resume the suspended 2020 season but they have yet to agree on a raft of economic concessions designed to offset the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Major League Soccer Player Association (MLSPA) has offered to accept a 7.5 per cent pay cut in 2020, but league owners are understood to be pushing for a 8.75 per cent reduction in salaries. The union is also requesting that the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) be extended by one year to 2025.

ESPN reports that the union's proposal is set to be rejected by MLS, which has already 'submitted its best offer' and will not make further economic concessions ahead of a 2nd June deadline, raising the prospect that the players could be locked out.