Frenkie de Jong is edging closer to a Manchester United move and will be handsomely paid at Old Trafford.
The Barcelona midfielder has been on the club's radar for much of the summer with Erik ten Hag looking to reunite with a player he worked with previously at Ajax. The Spanish club had been driving a hard bargain, while De Jong had been initially reticent to move, but eventually a £70m package looks to have been agreed between the two parties.
It will also see the Dutchman earn a basic weekly wage of £250,000 before bonuses, putting him in the club's top tier of earners. His salary is still eclipsed by Cristiano Ronaldo, who pockets a mammoth £510,000-a-week and David de Gea, who is taking home over £350k-a-week, while Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane are also breaking that £300k-a-week barrier. But De Jong's weekly pay cheque will supersede that of captain Harry Maguire and Bruno Fernandes.
The midfielder will be the first signing of the summer as Ten Hag's rebuild gets underway. The club have waved goodbye to several midfield options in recent weeks following the expiry of their contracts. Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic have both left, leaving the squad light in the middle of the park.
De Jong had remained coy on speculation with his future at Barcelona unclear. The Catalans have continued to invest in their academy with Pedri a shining light and Gavi now pushing for more involvement. It left the Dutchman's role under threat and Barcelona need to bring in funds to balance the books.
An exit therefore always seemed feasible and United will now look to other options as they prepare for the new season. Several current Ajax stars have been linked with moves to Manchester, namely Antony and Lisandro Martinez. United would welcome new additions in a host of areas but only have around £120m to spend after missing out on the Champions League last season.
Ten Hag will also need to get Sancho and Varane, who earn nearly £700,000-a-week between them, back to their best if United are to challenge once more. Varane was unable to have the desired effect on United's backline whilst Sancho took a while before he was up to speed, albeit he showed signs of improvement as the season went on.
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Man Utd's highest earners - £100k per week and above
Cristiano Ronaldo - £510,000
David de Gea - £375,000
Jadon Sancho - £350,000
Raphael Varane - £340,000
Frenkie De Jong - £250,000* subject to transfer going through
Anthony Martial - £250,000
Bruno Fernandes - £240,000
Marcus Rashford - £200,000
Harry Maguire - £190,000
Luke Shaw - £190,000
Fred - £120,000
Victor Lindelof - £120,000
Donny van de Beek - £120,000
Dean Henderson - £100,000