The English players' union last night rejected a new offer of television money from the Premier League, intensifying the threat of a possible strike.

Gordon Taylor, chief executive of the Professional Footballers' Association, described the new offer as "unacceptable".

The improved offer is understood to be for £9.85 million sterling, including £5.75 million from the Premier League and £1.4 million from the Football League.

The original offer was for around £9.2 million with £5.2 million and £1.3 million from the two leagues respectively, £500,000 more than the previous four-year deal.

The PFA's management committee considered the new offer yesterday afternoon but decided to reject it. They are intent on securing £25 million, five per cent of the Premier League's television deal, as they had been given that percentage of the previous TV money deal.

Taylor said: "It is extremely disappointing and not acceptable and we will press ahead with a ballot of players on taking industrial action. We are not after a bigger share, just the same share. We have discussed it and feel there's no real progress at all.

"Both the Football League and the Premier League say they have already distributed the money they have, so there is no extra left for us and that is not acceptable either."

Taylor added that there had been a bit of progress with the Premier League accepting that the payment was tied to television money and that the new offer did not include a reallocation of players' pension fund contributions.

The Premier League would not comment on any new offer.