The Premier League is a global behemoth. Its TV rights are sold for billions, its matches are watched around the world. Unsurprisingly, its players are very well remunerated.
Premier League clubs have some of the highest wage bills in Europe, with even the so-called smaller clubs paying out millions in annual salaries.
But who are the highest paid footballers in the Premier League? And do they represent value for money?
Check out the list below and decide for yourself! And when you've finished, take a look at the 15 highest paid footballers in the world – very few of these players feature.
Highest-paid Premier League football players
1. Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)
£400,000 per week / £20,800,000 per annum
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Fittingly, the highest-paid footballer in the Premier League is also the best footballer in the Premier League.
Belgian playmaker De Bruyne has won numerous trophies at Manchester City and will go down as one of the finest midfielders in the league’s history. Not bad for a Chelsea reject.
2. Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
£375,000 pw / £19,500,000 pa
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The £50m that Man City paid for Norwegian striker Haaland has already been repaid with interest.
The giant target man smashed a record-breaking 36 league goals alone as City powered their way to a Treble
A modern phenomenon who will surely top this list if he signs a new deal with the champions. (Read our interview with Haaland here.)
3. Mohammed Salah (Liverpool)
£350,000 pw / £18,200,000 pa
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A Liverpool icon, Egyptian striker Salah has won every domestic trophy available at Anfield – including that long-coveted Premier League title in 2020.
He would have won even more had Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool not shared an era with Pep Guardiola’s City. Another Premier League legend discarded in their youth by Chelsea. Whoops.
4. Casemiro (Manchester United)
£350,000 pw / £18,200,000 pa
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The top three players on this list are unquestionably worth their substantial salaries.
Casemiro? Not so much.
The veteran Brazilian was very good in his debut season but experienced a major sophomore slump with lacklustre performances and frequent spells on the treatment table. He cost £70m and a whole lot more in wages.
5. Raphael Varane (Manchester United)
£340,000 pw / £17,680,000 pa
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When fit, World Cup winner Varane is a Rolls-Royce of a defender. Unfortunately the Frenchman isn’t fit very often.
That awful injury record, coupled with those hefty wages, may well see Varane leave Manchester United when his contract expires this summer.
6. Raheem Sterling (Chelsea)
£325,000 pw / £16,900,000 pa
Oscar J Barroso / LPS via ZUMA Press / Alamy
English winger Sterling has been a Premier League stalwart for more than a decade and somehow isn’t even 30.
He played for the thrilling 2014 Liverpool team that famously let the title slip before defecting to City and winning multiple titles that didn’t.
His time at Chelsea has proved turbulent but lucrative – good on him.
7. Marcus Rashford (Manchester United)
£300,000 pw / £15,600,000 pa
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Aged just 18, Rashford famously scored twice on his United debut. The striker might have expected a bigger trophy haul in the subsequent years than the Europa League, FA Cup and a couple of League Cups.
He remains the face of the club but inconsistency has prevented the Englishman from fully fulfilling his youthful promise.
However, his activism has created a legacy that goes well beyond the pitch.
8. Jack Grealish (Manchester City)
£300,000 pw / £15,600,000 pa
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Across Manchester, Jack Grealish has racked up more trophies in two seasons with City than Rashford has managed in ten.
The ebullient Englishman is no longer the thrilling dribbler of his Aston Villa era but Grealish probably considers the 2023 Treble ample compensation for rarely beating a man these days.
Managed to stay likeable while playing for City, which is quite the achievement in itself. (Read our interview with Grealish's City and England teammate John Stones.)
9. Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)
£300,000 pw / £15,600,000 pa
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You’ll notice Manchester City account for a sizeable portion of this list. Like De Bruyne and Grealish, Bernardo Silva is a technically brilliant attacker who’s won a boatload of trophies since joining Pep Guardiola’s City project. (If it ain’t broke.)
Might not be the best Silva to play for City this decade – David remains the OG. Benardo has a Champions League, though.
10. Kai Havertz (Arsenal)
£280,000 pw / 14,560,000 py
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Eyebrows were raised when Arsenal paid Chelsea £64m for Havertz, a player who tended to underwhelm during his spell at Stamford Bridge. (Bar the winning goal in a Champions League final, which – in fairness – counts for a lot.)
The jury remains out on the move, and whether the German operates best in midfield or attack. (Read our interview with Arsenal winger Gabriel Martinelli.)
