The Guardian has warned staff to expect further heavy losses, as the newspaper said it expects to burn through another £90m in cash this year.

It has recorded negative cash flow of £60m so far in the current financial year and is on track for another £30m by April, executives told a meeting at its King's Cross headquarters.

The outflow so far is roughly equivalent to last year, when Guardian Media Group, the publisher of the Guardian and the Observer, went on to report a loss before tax and exceptional items of £68.7m. After tax and one-off charges, the company’s losses topped £200m.

The Guardian is seeking to sharply cut its costs by laying off staff, reducing the size of its office and scaling back its overseas ambitions. The cuts have not yet staunched the flow of red ink, however.

Staff were told, however, that the newspaper’s management, led by editor Katharine Viner and chief executive David Pemsel, remain confident they can deliver a turnaround in the next two years. The plan is ahead of schedule so far, the meeting heard.

Sources inside The Guardian said there was nevertheless widespread concern about the financial health of the publisher.