Introducing B teams to the EFL is “non-negotiable”, according to its chair Rick Parry.

He is looking to remove the cliff edge between the Premier League and the Championship, and is still pushing for the EFL to receive a 25 per cent cut of the revenue from selling Premier League and EFL rights together.

However, he insists there is no possibility of the EFL allowing top-flight clubs to drop B teams into its competition as part of any improved settlement.

Premier League sides have been able to enter Under-21s side into the Papa John's Trophy since 2017, but there are no plans to extend that further.

Parry said: “I just don’t see it, and irrespective of my view, it is absolutely not something that our clubs have any enthusiasm for.

“It’s been tried, Greg Dyke tried it. Greg Clarke introduced it at the very start of (Project) Big Picture and I said: ‘that’s non-negotiable, it’s not happening’.

“Frankly, I don’t even see it being on the table. I’ve spoken quite a lot about fresh ideas, new thinking, not having preconceived ideas, but I’ve got a preconceived idea about B teams and that’s not within the boundaries.

“The strength of the EFL is that every one of our clubs sits at the heart of the community. Our clubs put almost as much emphasis on the community as they do on the first team and what happens on the pitch.

“This isn’t about B teams suddenly parachuting in because you cannot possibly replicate that, it’s just misunderstanding what the pyramid is.”

One area where there could be room for manoeuvre is the Carabao Cup.

Asked if it was possible to make up the losses from changing the cup’s format – or scrapping it altogether – if the EFL received a greater share of broadcast revenues, Parry said: “Yes it might. And it gives us the flexibility to decide whether…this is just speculation, but anything could happen.

“Could it be that the clubs not in Europe play in it, could it just be an EFL competition? All things are possible.”