There are some eye-water pay packets at the top end of the Premier League
Manchester City pay some of the Premier League's biggest wages(Image credit: Getty Images)
So who are the highest-paid players in the Premier League? It's an incredible list.
The size of top-end footballer's wage packets have been the subject of outrage from certain quarters ever since Jimmy Hill successfully brought about the abolition of the Football League's wage cap in 1961. But as long as broadcasters are ready to pay billions for TV rights, teams will reinvest this money in their playing squad.
The biggest current earners in the Premier League are some of the sport's A-listers. FourFourTwo dives into the data, as per Capology, to see which players are raking in the most cash ahead of the 2024/25 season.
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The highest-paid players in the Premier League: 10. Kai Havertz, Arsenal (£280,000 per week)
Kai Havertz in action for Arsenal (Image credit: Getty Images)
The only Arsenal player on the list, Kai Havertz put pen to paper on a five-year deal when he swapped Stamford Bridge for the Emirates last summer. His pay packet of £280,000 per week puts him just ahead of his teammate, Gabriel Jesus, who narrowly misses out on a place in the top ten.
=7. Jack Grealish, Manchester City (£300,000 per week)
Jack Grealish in action for Manchester City a (Image credit: Getty Images)
The first – but (spoiler warning) not the last – Manchester City player on this list, Jack Grealish signed a huge six-year contract when he became the most expensive English player of all time in 2021, when City handed Aston Villa £100million for the winger.
After missing out on the England squad this summer, the 28-year-old should return with a point to prove this season.
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=7. Bernardo Silva, Manchester City (£300,000 per week)
Bernardo Silva of Manchester City
Our next Manchester City attacker on the list, with the Portuguese being handsomely rewarded for being the player that Pep Guardiola has selected more than any other in his managerial career. The 29-year-old has two years left to run on this deal, which he signed last summer.
=7. Marcus Rashford, Manchester United (£300,000 per week)
Marcus Rashford in action for Manchester United (Image credit: Alamy)
Marcus Rashford put pen to paper on a new five-year deal when he was coming off the best season of his career to date last summer. A testing 2023/24 campaign means the pressure is somewhat on him to bounce back and prove he's worth the £300,000-a-week in his pay packet.
=5. Romelu Lukaku, Chelsea (£325,000 per week)
Romelu Lukaku (Image credit: Getty)
Hands up if you'd forgotten Romelu Lukaku was still a Chelsea player? The Belgian forward still has another two years on the five-year deal he signed in 2021, but has not kicked a ball for the club since the end of the 2021/22 season, following loan moves to Inter Milan and Roma. At age 31, there's still time for yet more baffling moves in career that will be the answer to a cracking trivia question when all is said and done.
=5. Raheem Sterling, Chelsea (£325,000 per week)
Raheem Sterling of Chelsea (Image credit: Getty Images)
The final Chelsea player on this list, Raheem Sterling was one of Chelsea's big buys in the summer of 2022 as he swapped the Etihad for Stamford Bridge in a £47.5million move. While he's not matched the form that saw him win four Premier League titles with Manchester City, he's been a regular contributor amid the chaos at Chelsea.
=3. Casemiro, Manchester United (£350,000 per week)
Casemiro in action for Manchester United (Image credit: Getty Images)
The Brazilian midfielder has two years left on the huge contract he signed when he completed a £60million move from Real Madrid to Manchester United, but given his form during last season's run-in, this is starting to look like something of a millstone for the Old Trafford side.
Casemiro will turn 33 next season and should the Saudi Pro League come calling this summer, both player and club are unlikely to turn down a move.
=3. Mohamed Salah, Liverpool (£350,000 per week)
Mohamed Salah of Liverpool (Image credit: Getty Images)
Liverpool's sole representative on the list, the Egyptian icon has just 12 months left to win on his £350,000-a-week deal that he signed in 2022. Given his talismanic status at Anfield, no fans will have begrudged the club paying him this much, but the team will now have one eye out on his successor at the club.
2. Erling Haaland, Manchester City (£375,000 per week)
Erling Haaland of Manchester City (Image credit: Alamy)
City were able to land Erling Haaland for just €60million when they activated his Borussia Dortmund release clause in the summer of 2022 and he immediately set about showing that he was worth every penny of his £400,000-a-week wage, breaking the Premier League single-season goalscoring record as City romped to a historic treble. The Leeds-born Norwegian still has three years left to run on this current deal.
1. Kevin De Bruyne, Manchester City (£400,000 per week)
Kevin De Bruyne of Manchester City (Image credit: Michael Regan - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
It shouldn't be a massive surprise that Kevin De Bruyne tops this list. Usually the best player on the best team in the Premier League, the Belgian has been earning £400,000-a-week since signing a new deal in April 2021. After turning 33 last month and with less than 12 months remaining on his deal, all eyes are on what happens next for the mercurial midfielder.
For more than a decade Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor, with stints at Mirror Football and LeedsLive among others. He is the author of four football history books that include times on Leeds United and the England national team.
