Manchester United invested heavily in the summer, spending a combined amount worth €140 million to bring in Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane and Cristiano Ronaldo. They did not have any significant player sales, and also retained players like Diogo Dalot and Jesse Lingard that spent the previous season out on loan.
According to the Sun, the wage bill of the Red Devils has skyrocketed massively, with the three arrivals increasing the total payment by €75 million. Due to the arrivals during the summer, United have now emerged as genuine title contenders alongside rivals Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea. However, their pursuit of the quadruple has been halted this season with West Ham knocking them out of the Carabao Cup.
Manchester United are currently paying €452 million in salaries, which is similar to what Barcelona had last year. The Catalonian club entered a financial crisis after Joan Laporta announced debts worth over €1 billion, and the situation is only starting to become stable now. United could be heading into a similar direction if they do not achieve silverware this season.
To make their case, though, they have one of the best attackers in the world, as well as one of the best defenders in Cristiano Ronaldo and Raphael Varane. Ronaldo is the Premier League’s highest earner with a reported salary around €30 million. The Portuguese is followed by David De Gea at €22 million, Jadon Sancho (€21.2 million) and Raphael Varane (€20.7 million) Paul Pogba finishes the top five with a yearly wage worth €17.6 million.
