Foxtel have reportedly offered the FFA just $11m per year plus production costs in a renegotiated deal or A-League TV rights, slashed down from the original $57m per year agreement signed in 2016.

Now Macarthur - set to join the competition next season but still paying their licence fee in instalments - are expecting a discount.

A Bulls insider insisted: “The new licence fee needs to be reflective of the current economic climate.”

The Campbelltown-based club also want a guarantee they will get a share of TV revenue beyond the current agreement which expires in 2022.

As part of their initial licence agreement signed in December 2018, the Bulls agreed to pay a $12m fee to FFA. This fee was broken up into a $2m initial payment plus two annual payments of $3.5m, and a final payment of $3m

Insiders say the Bulls in turn would then receive $9.75m back from the FFA by 2022, broken up into three payments of $3.25m.

The next $3.5m instalment from Macarthur was due in July, with the $3.25m repayment to be paid over the course of the following 12 months, giving FFA time to use the initial $3.5m as working capital and generate interest income.

The net licence fee payable was therefore effectively $250,000 on top of the $2m they initially paid.

The $9.75m flashback was framed as a form of financial security to ensure the Bulls could survive without a share of the $57m per year TV rights agreement the FFA had with Foxtel.

Western United are said to have had a similar arrangement with FFA where $14.5m of their $18m licence fee, all of which was paid upfront, would be effectively returned by 2022.

The 10 A-League clubs prior to the Bulls and Western United joining the A-League were assured the two expansion clubs would not receive any of the annual TV revenue which was part of the bumper six year $346m deal signed in 2016.

But Bulls insiders don’t believe it’s feasible for FFA to produce their own content if a TV network does not come on board if the Fox Sports deal is axed.

They believe the estimated $75,000 production cost per game would make it difficult for FFA to generate enough revenue to keep A-League clubs afloat.

However the Bulls say they are confident the matter will be resolved, while the FFA admitted they are in "intense discussions" with the Bulls, but declined to comment.