Aston Villa have hired an "independent financial firefighter" to look into big cut-backs if the club are relegated, according to the Mirror.
The paper says an email was sent to all staff last week, informing them of likely cut-backs in the event of relegation to the Championship.
The article adds: "Spending is expected to be slashed across commercial, academy and community departments, while in recent weeks Villa have already started to lay off match-day stewards and corporate hospitality staff because attendances at home games have fallen."