Even as he enters his thirties, Salah remains one of the biggest goalscoring threats in European football. He has flourished in the early stages under Arne Slot and will be hoping to do so in the Champions League when the Reds' return campaign in the competition kicks off.

8 Dusan Vlahovic

£360,909-per-week

Despite being one of the Champions League's highest earners this season, the competition is one that has not served Dusan Vlahovic well in the past. The Serbian striker has found the back of the net just twice in his two seasons playing among Europe's elite.

Juventus make their return to the tournament for the first time since 2022 this season and will be needing their talisman to take his domestic form into Europe if they are to have any chance of staging a shock run to the silverware. Even then, it may not be enough, and Vlahovic may have to rediscover the potency that made him famous while at Fiorentina.

7 David Alaba

£365,456-per-week

 

David Alaba cruelly missed out on playing any part in the latter stages of Los Blancos' Champions League triumph last season after being one of numerous players to suffer an ACL injury. A return to the team is not expected until November at the earliest, and if his fitness progression faces anymore obstacles, the possibility of him missing the group phase could become a real one.

Still one of the best defenders on his day when available, the Austrian will be keen to get back on the pitch as soon as possible to showcase that he is still worth the lofty £365k-per-week deal he is on at the Bernabeu.

6 Erling Haaland

£375,000-per-week

 

Based on current form, there are very few people who justify their wages quite like Erling Haaland. Despite scoring 27 Premier League goals last season, the incredibly high expectations placed on the Norwegian meant that it was labelled as a quiet term for him. He has since responded with nine goals in his opening four Premier League games in the 2024/25 term.

Having won the Champions League in his first season at the Etihad, Haaland will be eager to ensure that his lethal nature in front of goal domestically continues in his midweek adventures as City look to regain their crown. But, despite being one of the Premier League's highest earners, he falls to sixth compared to his European counterparts.

5 Kevin De Bruyne

£400,000-per-week

 

Despite the Premier League being the most lucrative league in the world, Kevin De Bruyne's wages are only enough for him to take up fifth among the rest of Europe. The Belgian star has turned himself into one of the greatest playmakers in the modern era and getting his hands on the big-eared trophy in 2023 prevented him from becoming one of the best players to never win the competition.

Even in his advancing age, De Bruyne still remains a force of nature. However long he has left at Manchester City, it is bound to be filled with plenty of assists, both domestically and in European football.

4 Harry Kane

£406,063-per-week

 

Harry Kane's much-publicised move to Germany to win trophies has not exactly pan out the way the England captain would have expected it to. The unfathomable happened during the frontman's first season at the Allianz, as the giants walked away from the 2023/24 season empty-handed.

Despite that, England's highest-paid footballer more than proved his worth in a record-breaking year for himself, and despite the club not being up to scratch over the last 12 months, they still found themselves moments away from a Champions League final, if not for Joselu's incredible late turnaround. With a new structure in place, there will be hope of pushing a little further.

3 Kylian Mbappe

£507,578-per-week

 

From one world-class striker who has failed to win the Champions League to another. It was only a matter of time before Kylian Mbappe made the inevitable switch to Real Madrid. In doing so, he has made the number one team in Europe even stronger and must have hopes of getting his hands on the title in the not-so-distant future.

The Frenchman actually took a drastic pay cut in order to secure his much anticipated move. As a result, he has dropped from being the highest-earner by some margin down to third, with two players from his biggest rivals sitting pretty above him.

2 Robert Lewandowski

£541,363-per-week

 

Barcelona's financial issues can arguably be summarised by the fact that, combined, they spend over £1 million weekly on their two biggest earners. In the case of Robert Lewandowski, it can be argued that he would be worth the crazy amount he earns today in his prime, as the Polish superstar was at the top of the tree in terms of being an out-and-out number nine.

His impact in his latter years is waning slightly, but the 36-year-old has still started the La Liga campaign on fire with six goal contributions in five games. Whether it lasts as the demands of Europe kick in remains to be seen.

1 Frenkie De Jong

£609,094-per-week

 

Earning more than £600,000 per week, it is no wonder why Barcelona have been open to selling Frenkie de Jong in recent years. It is also no wonder why the Dutchman has been overly fussed about leaving either, as doing so would force him to lose a substantial amount of his chart-topping salary.

De Jong is a great midfield option for the Camp Nou outfit, but ever since his high-profile move from Ajax, he has done little to justify the extreme amount that he puts away. When he returns from the injury that kept him out of Euro 2024, he will need to do a fair amount to even earn his way back into the first team picture.