Arsenal are in talks with Bukayo Saka over a new long-term contract that could make him one of the highest-paid players in the Premier League.
The England international has developed into one of the world’s best attackers and is currently earning £195,000-per-week at the Emirates.
We’ve taken a look at the 29 players in the Premier League who are earning over £195,000-per-week and also judged if they deserve to be getting more than Saka.
Note: All figures mentioned are before tax and do not include the array of bonuses that are included in the fine print of every contract.
29= Hugo Ekitike
Club: Liverpool
Wages: £200,000-per-week
Liverpool forked out an initial £69million to sign Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt in the summer and also gave the striker a £200,000-per-week contract.
VERDICT: Somewhat undeserved
29= Viktor Gyokeres
Club: Arsenal
Wages: £200,000-per-week
One of six Arsenal players paid more than Saka, Gyokeres joined the Gunners in the summer and put pen to paper on a five-year contract worth £200,000-per-week.
VERDICT: Somewhat undeserved
Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres
Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres
29= Josko Gvardiol
Club: Manchester City
Wages: £200,000-per-week
Since arriving at Manchester City in 2023, Gvardiol has been earning £200,000-per-week but recent reports suggest they could now give the centre-back a pay rise.
VERDICT: Somewhat undeserved
29= Florian Wirtz
Club: Liverpool
Wages: £200,000-per-week
Wirtz has had a difficult start to his Liverpool career following his summer move from Bayer Leverkusen but will be hoping to eventually justify the £115million transfer fee and £200,000-per-week wages.
VERDICT: Somewhat undeserved
29= Wesley Fofana
Club: Chelsea
Wages: £200,000-per-week
Injuries have plagued Fofana since his £75million move to Chelsea in 2022, but the centre-back is still earning £200,000-per-week at Stamford Bridge.
VERDICT: Definitely undeserved
24: Rodri
Club: Manchester City
Wages: £220,000-per-week
The 2024 Ballon d’Or winner, Rodri is currently earning £220,000-per-week but Manchester City reportedly intend to offer him a new and improved contract to make him the second-highest-paid player at the club.
VERDICT: Definitely deserved
23: Phil Foden
Club: Manchester City
Wages: £225,000-per-week
Alongside Gvardiol and Rodri, Foden is also set for a new contract at Manchester City as his current £225,000-per-week deal is due to expire in 2027.
VERDICT: Somewhat undeserved
22: Tijjani Reijnders
Club: Manchester City
Wages: £230,000-per-week
Reijnders arrived at Manchester City in the summer after an impressive season at AC Milan and signed a five-year contract worth £230,000-per-week.
VERDICT: Definitely undeserved
21= Declan Rice
Club: Arsenal
Wages: £240,000-per-week
Arsenal paid a club-record £105million to sign Rice from West Ham United in 2022 and also agreed to give the midfielder a six-year deal worth £240,000-per-week.
VERDICT: Somewhat deserved
21= Martin Odegaard
Club: Arsenal
Wages: £240,000-per-week
The Arsenal captain, Odegaard put pen to paper on a five-year contract extension in 2023 and his wages went from £115,000-per-week to £240,000-per-week.
VERDICT: Somewhat deserved
19= Jadon Sancho
Club: Aston Villa (on loan from Manchester United)
Wages: £250,000-per-week
Aston Villa signed Sancho from Manchester United on a season-long loan deal and agreed to cover 80% of his £250,000-per-week wages, while United are still paying him £50,000-per-week.
According to reports, United are considering letting the 25-year-old leave Old Trafford on a free next summer rather than triggering the one-year extension in his contract.
VERDICT: Definitely undeserved
19= Cody Gakpo
Club: Liverpool
Wages: £250,000-per-week
Having helped Liverpool win the Premier League last season, Gakpo was rewarded with a new contract that more than doubled his wages and took him up to £250,000-per-week.
VERDICT: Somewhat undeserved
19= Gianluigi Donnarumma
Club: Manchester City
Wages: £250,000-per-week
Donnarumma swapped Paris Saint-Germain for Manchester City in the summer and his £250,000-per-week contract at the Etihad makes him the highest-paid goalkeeper in the Premier League.
VERDICT: Somewhat deserved
Man City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma
Man City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma
19= William Saliba
Club: Arsenal
Wages: £250,000-per-week
Despite being linked with a move to Real Madrid, Saliba recently signed a new five-year contract with Arsenal and his wages went from £190,000-per-week to £250,000-per-week.
VERDICT: Somewhat deserved
19= John Stones
Club: Manchester City
Wages: £250,000-per-week
Stones has had a key role in Manchester City’s success under Pep Guardiola but could leave the club when his £250,000-per-week contract expires at the end of the season.
VERDICT: Somewhat deserved
19= Ruben Dias
Club: Manchester City
Wages: £250,000-per-week
Dias plays alongside Stones at Manchester City and now has the same salary as his centre-back partner after signing a new four-year contract at the Etihad.
VERDICT: Somewhat deserved
19= Reece James
Club: Chelsea
Wages: £250,000-per-week
James is widely regarded as one of the best right-backs in Europe but his injury issues in recent years have made it difficult to justify his £250,000-per-week wages.
VERDICT: Somewhat undeserved
12: Gabriel Jesus
Club: Arsenal
Wages: £265,000-per-week
Jesus signed a five-year contract worth £265,000-per-week after joining Arsenal in 2022 but has fallen down the pecking order following an injury-strewn couple of years in north London.
TEAMtalk’s transfer insider, Dean Jones, reported on October 3 that Arsenal are willing to sell the Brazil international in the January transfer window and want £30million.
VERDICT: Definitely undeserved
11= Alexander Isak
Club: Liverpool
Wages: £280,000-per-week
After paying a British transfer record fee to sign Isak from Newcastle United in the summer, Liverpool also gave the Sweden international a six-year contract worth £280,000-per-week.
VERDICT: Somewhat deserved
11= Kai Havertz
Club: Arsenal
Wages: £280,000-per-week
Havertz has a £280,000-per-week deal and is currently the highest-paid player at Arsenal but may be usurped once the Gunners finalise the terms of Saka’s new contract.
Arsenal forward Kai Havertz
Arsenal forward Kai Havertz
VERDICT: Definitely undeserved
9: Omar Marmoush
Club: Manchester City
Wages: £295,000-per-week
Marmoush joined Manchester City in the January transfer window and is now earning £295,000-per-week – a huge increase from his £34,000-per-week salary at Eintracht Frankfurt.
VERDICT: Definitely undeserved
8= Bernardo Silva
Club: Manchester City
Wages: £300,000-per-week
Silva replaced Kevin De Bruyne as the club captain at Manchester City in the summer but has now entered the final year of his £300,000-per-week contract at the Etihad.
VERDICT: Somewhat deserved
8= Jack Grealish
Club: Everton (on loan from Manchester City)
Wages: £300,000-per-week
Grealish is spending the 2025/26 season on loan at Everton and they are paying him £225,000-per-week, while parent club Manchester City are covering the remaining £75,000.
VERDICT: Definitely undeserved
8= Bruno Fernandes
Club: Manchester United
Wages: £300,000-per-week
Fernandes is on a £300,000-per-week contract at Manchester United but would’ve been earning an additional £400,000-per-week if he had accepted an offer from Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal.
VERDICT: Somewhat deserved
5: Raheem Sterling
Club: Chelsea
Wages: £325,000-per-week
Sterling has been frozen out of the first-team picture at Chelsea but is still the highest-paid player at Stamford Bridge with a weekly salary of £325,000.
VERDICT: Definitely undeserved
4= Casemiro
Club: Manchester United
Wages: £350,000-per-week
Casemiro signed a four-year deal worth £350,000-per-week after joining Manchester United in 2022 and that contract is due to expire at the end of the season.
TEAMtalk understands that a contract extension could be possible – but only if the Brazil international is willing to accept a substantial wage reduction.
VERDICT: Somewhat deserved
4= Virgil van Dijk
Club: Liverpool
Wages: £350,000-per-week
Van Dijk had the option to leave Liverpool on a free transfer at the end of the 2024/25 season but ultimately decided to sign a two-year contract extension.
He got a £130,000-per-week pay rise to take his salary to £350,000-per-week and is now the highest-paid centre-back in the Premier League.
VERDICT: Definitely deserved
2: Mohamed Salah
Club: Liverpool
Wages: £400,000-per-week
Alongside Van Dijk, Salah also signed a new two-year contract at Liverpool to replace the one that was due to expire at the end of the 2024/25 season.
It is the most lucrative contract in the club’s history, with the 33-year-old Egypt international now pocketing £400,000-per-week at Anfield.
VERDICT: Definitely deserved
Liverpool winger Mohamed Salah
Liverpool winger Mohamed Salah
1: Erling Haaland – £525,000-per-week
Club: Manchester City
Wages: £525,000-per-week
Haaland committed his future to Manchester City by penning an extraordinary nine-and-a-half-year contract earlier this year, which keeps him at the Etihad Stadium until the summer of 2034.
The contract is worth £525,000-per-week, making the Norway international the highest-paid player in the Premier League and the sixth-highest paid player in the world.
VERDICT: Definitely deserved
READ MORE: The key contract details of every Arsenal first-team player: Expiry dates, weekly wages, agents…