The National Football League and the NFL Players Association reportedly remain at odds about how to classify COVID-19 if a player contracts the virus during practice or a game throughout the 2020 season.

ESPN's Dan Graziano reported the issue has become a "major sticking point" in negotiations, with the NFL's latest proposal suggesting it be declared a non-football injury, which would not require teams to pay any affected players.

Meanwhile, the union made several requests during the latest round of talks, led by an elimination of all four preseason games and daily COVID-19 testing, per Graziano. It also seeks "financial and other compensation" if players opt out of the season for coronavirus-related concerns.

The discussions come amid a recent surge of COVID-19 cases nationwide, which could threaten the NFL's effort to move forward with training camp July 28.

There are no further "formal talks" scheduled between the sides, but they are expected to speak again at some point "soon," per Graziano.

In May, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell released a statement saying the league would remain flexible with its plans for the upcoming campaign.

"We will be prepared to make adjustments as necessary, as we have during this offseason in safely and efficiently conducting key activities such as free agency, the virtual offseason program, and the 2020 NFL draft," Goodell said.

The league hasn't formally announced the cancellation of any preseason matchups beyond the Hall of Fame Game, which was scheduled for Aug. 6. The opening week of exhibition contests is tentatively set to take place Aug. 13, though that's increasingly unlikely with players seeking to eliminate the preseason.

At minimum, the NFL is expected to shorten the exhibition slate to two games, per ESPN's Kevin Seifert.

Week 1 of the regular season is slated to kick off Sept. 10 when the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs host the Houston Texans.