Sheffield United's players are still owed around £8million in promotion bonuses from last season just days before the club's return to the Premier League against Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Mail Sport has learned that the club have deferred making the payments, which are worth between £250,000 and £400,000-per-player depending on how many matches they played during last season's Championship promotion campaign, until September but insist they will eventually be honoured.
United secured promotion to the top-flight after two years in the Championship with a win over West Brom on 26 April, triggering one of the most generous bonus schemes in the country.