The future of Liverpool star Mohamed Salah remains up in the air after the forward reportedly snubbed the club’s latest offer of a new contract — and the latest data suggests he has an argument in demanding a pay rise.
The 29-year-old leads the Premier League scoring charts with 20 goals in 26 appearances this season, with another 10 assists for his team-mates.
But the Egyptian could become one of the latest high-profile stars to run down their contracts in favour of earning a more lucrative payday after turning down the club's latest offer.
Salah’s contract expires in June 2023 but there is no agreement yet between the club and his representative, Ramy Abbas.
It is believed he is one of Liverpool’s highest earners on £200,000-a-week, but there is a general consensus he could be offered more elsewhere.
According to research from Spotrac, the Reds star is lagging some way behind the Premier League’s highest-paid players, which may point to his reluctance to sign on the dotted line.
Here, Mirror Football counts down to reveal the 14 highest-paid footballers who have eclipsed his wages at Anfield.
14. Virgil van Dijk — £11.4m
The Liverpool centre-back signed a five-year contract when arriving in a £75million deal from Southampton in January 2018.
But he committed his future to the Reds with a new deal that keeps him at Anfield until 2025 last summer, with a bumper pay rise included.
Widely heralded as one of the best centre-backs in the world, few would disagree the Dutchman is worth his weight in gold, never mind the £11.4m yearly salary.
Have Your Say! Does Mohamed Salah deserve to be one of the Premier League's highest-paid players? Comment below.
13. John Stones — £13m
Surprisingly, Stones is the highest earner out of Man City’s three centre-backs, despite commanding the lowest transfer fee out of the trio.
The England international is thought to earn a cool £230,000-a-week and that puts him above his colleagues Ruben Dias, who cost £61m from Benfica, and Aymeric Laporte.
Like Van Dijk, he penned his new five-year deal in the summer of 2021 after winning back his place in the side under Pep Guardiola, contributing to their title triumph in 2020/21.
12. Edinson Cavani — £13m
United forward Cavani may have not played as much as he would have liked since agreeing a new one-year extension with the club.
But the Uruguayan can at least console himself with a lucrative weekly wage he has been earning at Old Trafford.
The 34-year-old arrived on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain in August 2020 and hit 16 goals in his first season in Manchester, although this game time has been limited since Cristiano Ronaldo ’s return to the club.
11. Timo Werner — £14.1m
Chelsea felt they had pulled off a coup when they convinced Timo Werner to join them from RB Leipzig in February 2020 in a £47.5m deal.
While the German’s move to the Premier League has not quite worked out as planned with just seven goals in 48 league appearances, he holds an important role on the club’s salary bill.
The 27-year-old commands the third-highest wage on Chelsea’s books, taking home around £260,000-a-week, with Chelsea estimated to have paid around £4m in wages for every goal the striker has scored in the top flight.
10. Paul Pogba — £15m
The Manchester United playmaker only has three months left to run on his current deal worth £300,000-a-week and the signs suggest the 29-year-old will not be renewing his contract.
Pogba signed a five-year deal with an option for a further year after costing a club-record £89m from Juventus in 2016.
He remains tied to that same deal after years of uncertainty over his future. But with reported interest from Juventus and PSG, Pogba is likely to depart with a pay rise on the horizon for the World Cup winner.
9. N’Golo Kante — £15m
Like his France international colleague, N’Golo Kante signed his contract in 2016 after joining Chelsea from Leicester for £32m.
However, the midfielder has renewed his deal in between his arrival at Stamford Bridge after PSG showed interest in signing the tireless midfielder in 2018.
Kante is no longer the top earner at Chelsea but the 30-year-old may not mind, given his relatively quiet and modest lifestyle outside of football.
8. Raheem Sterling — £15.6m
He was one of England’s top performers at Euro 2020 and with 13 goals in all competitions this season, Raheem Sterling remains a valuable asset for Manchester City.
The 27-year-old is entering the peak years of his career and will have to choose his next move carefully, rather like Salah, with reported interest from Barcelona and Real Madrid.
The club are locked in negotiations with Sterling over a new deal which would surely see him keep his status as one of the club’s top earners, with his current contract set to expire in 2023.
7. Jack Grealish — £15.6m
In making a British record £100m move to the Etihad Stadium, Jack Grealish not only joined the champions but tripled his wages in the process.
The playmaker is the second-highest-paid English player in the Premier League after signing on the dotted line on a deal that could net him £78m over his five years with Man City.
The 26-year-old has had a difficult start to life in Manchester with only four goals in 27 appearances so far and has been linked with a move back to Aston Villa.
But the England winger is going nowhere for the time being as he is tied down until 2026 to his deal, with City seeing him as a key member of their squad for years to come.
6. Romelu Lukaku — £16.9m
Chelsea not only smashed their transfer record to bring Romelu Lukaku back to west London, they also handed out the biggest contract in the club’s history.
The £97.5m signing from Inter Milan was already earning a hefty salary at the San Siro. But in negotiating a long-term deal for his client, Federico Passarello secured an agreement worth £315,000-a-week for Lukaku.
The Belgian has struggled to recapture his best form, with 10 goals in all competitions for the Blues, but has lost his place under Thomas Tuchel to Kai Havertz.
5. Raphael Varane — £17.7m
He won the World Cup with France and four Champions League trophies with Real Madrid, so Raphael Varane could demand an eye-watering salary when Manchester United came calling last summer.
The 28-year-old stands to rake in £17.7m-a-year during his time at Old Trafford, dwarfing the package his team-mate Harry Maguire earns with the Red Devils.
However, Varane’s debut season in England has been hampered with injury, and he has only made 17 appearances in the league as a result.
4. Jadon Sancho — £18.2m
Out of England’s star-studded squad, Jadon Sancho can boast he is the richest of the lot with a huge salary package from Man United.
The 21-year-old earned a significant rise on the weekly wage he brought home from Borussia Dortmund when Man United paid £73m to end his four-year spell in the Bundesliga.
Sancho initially had trouble acclimatising to life and the pressures of being a United player, but under Ralf Rangnick, he has hit five goals to show United fans why the club tracked him for the best part of 18 months.
3. David de Gea — £19.5m
The longest-serving player at Man United along with Phil Jones, David de Gea has proved he is one of the most important players at the club time and time again.
The 30-year-old won the club’s player of the season for three consecutive years before Bruno Fernandes took his crown.
But such was De Gea's value, Man United felt compelled to hand him a deal worth £390,000-a-week to ward off interest from Real Madrid. With a year left on that deal, the club must decide if he is still worth it.
2. Kevin De Bruyne — £20.8m
It seems only fair that one of the best players the Premier League can offer is rewarded with a similarly grand salary.
Man City negotiated for months before finally reaching an agreement with De Bruyne, who has been synonymous with the club since his £55m transfer in 2015.
The Belgian inked a new five-year contract in 2021 to commit his future to the club until his final years. And with nine goals and five assists this season, he is showing no signs of slowing down yet.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo — £26.5m
There can only be one top earner in the Premier League for Cristiano Ronaldo and that, of course, had to be him.
The Man United star took a huge pay cut from his reported £800,000-a-week deal when he arrived from Juventus in August, signing until 2023 with the Red Devils.
But he is in his own bracket as far as the Premier League is concerned, with United paying out a whopping £475k-a-week to the 37-year-old.
His 18 goals this season have proved crucial, although there are question marks as to whether the Portuguese superstar can continue playing at the highest level for much longer.
However, as long as he remains at Old Trafford, he will continue to cash in the biggest cheques of any player in the league.
