Serie B will introduce a salary cap for its players next season in a bid to curb excessive spending by clubs, reports SportBusiness. According to the new deal, player contracts signed from July 2013 will have a maximum of Eur150,000 per season in a fixed salary plus up to Eur150,000 in performance-related bonuses. It is hoped that the changes will help clubs to save up to 25% on their current costs.

Serie B president Andrea Abodi also announced that the second division had agreed to limit the number of players over the age of 21 that each club is allowed to have. From the 2013-14 season, clubs can have a maximum of 22 players over the age of 21, while in 2014-15 that figure will be reduced to 20.

Clubs that transgress the rules will be fined. "It was unanimously decided that contracts starting from July 1 must be standardised with a fixed and variable element each not exceeding Eur150,000 gross," Serie B stated.

Abodi also hopes to cut the number of teams in Serie B to 20 in the future, but the plans have to be discussed with the Italian Football Federation and the Serie A top flight.