Manchester United are preparing for the biggest game of their season so far - a Champions League clash with Barcelona at Old Trafford on Wednesday night.

The Red Devils are not favourites to advance from the quarter-final tie but will be hoping for some heroics similar to what we saw against Paris Saint-Germain in the last round. 

Although they're still challenging in this season's Champions League, qualification for the 2019/20 competition is just as important. 

United are currently sixth in the Premier League, three points behind the fourth spot and that means the club is at risk of only making the Europa League.  

Missing out on Europe's elite competition next year will be a huge blow and it could come at a huge cost to the players.  

According to The Sun, Man United stars face pay cuts of up to 25% if they fail to qualify for next season's Champions League. 

Should that happen, the report also suggests that some players could 'jump ship' and move elsewhere. 

Club sources have told the paper that 'the reductions in wages are built-in to protect the club from a drop in revenue that comes with failing to reach the Champions League'. 

This situation is rather unique to United, with other top clubs like Arsenal preferring to add to their player's pay once qualification is secured, rather than reducing it should they fail. 

But with United in danger of missing out on the UCL, pay cuts are a very unwelcome possibility at Old Trafford.

A number of important players are entering into the final years of their contracts and the threat of losing money and no Champions League football could make negotiations very tough. 

So, things could be about to get very interesting at Man United come summer.