REVEALED: Why Man United’s Alexis Sanchez is the highest paid player in Premier League (Sh52 million per week)

Man United’s Alexis Sanchez and Paul Pogba. [Courtesy]

If 15 years ago, someone said that there’s a possibility a footballer could earn a million quid in under a month, you'd have laughed.

But fast forward to 2019 and that's the exact situation the very top earners in the Premier League have found themselves in.

Football is very much a money game now, exemplified in the summer of 2017 as Paris Saint-Germain completed the world record signing of Neymar for a whopping £200million.

It is not just around the world where money is being splashed; some of the highest-earning players are based in England and playing in the Premier League, where broadcast rights are far more costly than anywhere else, helping to line the clubs' and - ultimately - players pockets.

With all that being said, here are the top 11 highest-earning players in the Premier League...

Mo Salah (Liverpool) - £200,000-per-week (Sh26 million)

The Egyptian signed for Liverpool back in 2017 and has set the Premier League alight, breaking goalscoring records and shining for the Reds.

His form guided Liverpool to the 2018 Champions League final and fourth in the Premier League - and helped lead them to their title charge in 2019.

Salah will expect an annual salary of nearly £10.5million if he sees out his contract until 2023.

Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City) - £200,000-per-week (Sh26 million)

Signing in the summer of 2018, Mahrez earned his bumper deal on the back of his sparkling performances that led underdogs Leicester City to the Premier League title two years earlier.

His technical class was recognised by City, who landed his signature at the second time of trying.

However, Mahrez has left City fans frustrated with a string of inconsistent performances since joining, struggling to nail down his place in the team ahead of the likes of Raheem Sterling, Leroy Sane and Bernardo Silva.

Mahrez's current contract runs until the summer of 2023.

Eden Hazard (Chelsea) - £200,000-per-week (Sh26 million)

Hazard has been the face of Chelsea ever since his move to the club in 2012.

Largely deployed down the left side of the attack, Hazard has scored over 80 goals since leaving Lille.

Hazard's contract next summer, which is a concern for Chelsea fans.

Real Madrid remain keen admirers of his and hope to get be able to lure him to the Bernabeu, where he would earn even more money.

 

Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur) - £200,000-per-week (Sh26 million)

Kane has come through Tottenham's academy to become their club-record earner.

The England striker has consistently scored huge goals that has developed his reputation of one of the deadliest strikers in world football.

Kane signed a new bumper contract in the summer of 2018 as Spurs tied down their greatest asset until the summer of 2024.

Sergio Aguero (Manchester City) - £220,000-per-week (Sh29 million)

Sergio Aguero joined Manchester City back in 2011 for £35m - and they have certainly had return of investment.

On the final day of his debut season, the striker famously scored the last minute goal which secured City their first league title in 44 years.

Aguero has gone on to become a Blues legend and in November 2017, he became the club’s all-time record goalscorer after bagging his 178th goal.

He is the highest non-European scorer in the history of the Premier League - and well worth the money City are paying him.

Aguero is under contract with City until the summer of 2021 but has previously stated a desire to play again in Argentina before retiring.

Romelu Lukaku (Manchester United) - £250,000-per-week (Sh33 million)

The first of three Manchester United players to feature on this list.

After being a part of Chelsea’s youth team, the Belgian forward made a name for himself during loan spells at West Brom and Everton.

In 2017, he equalled Duncan Ferguson’s Everton record for Premier League goals, scoring his 60th for the Toffees and in turn earned himself a big money move to Manchester United, where he was intended to be the answer to their goalscoring woes.

The Old Trafford spell has been a mixed bag so far. He is contracted until 2022.

Raheem Sterling (Manchester City) - £275,000-per-week (Sh36 million)

Sterling has been in fine form for Manchester City over the past two years - and his bumper contract will could be made even more lucrative if he meets a series of milestones.

While the Ballon d'Or might be a long way off, there are clauses in his contract such as becoming the world player of the year which will see him receive a pay hike.

Sterling signed his current deal in November 2018, which runs until 2023, as a reward for becoming one of the key players in Pep Guardiola's City team.

Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City) - £280,000-per-week (Sh37 million)

Since signing from Wolfsburg in 2015, De Bruyne has become one of the focal points of the Manchester City team.

The Belgian international has been named player of the year twice and is always in the running to make the Premier League best XI.

Like Salah, he also struggled during a spell at Chelsea, but went abroad to make his name and then proved himself once returning to the Premier League.

His current deal runs until 2023.

Paul Pogba (Manchester United) - £290,000-per-week (Sh38 million)

Pogba completed a sensational return to Manchester United in 2016 for what was then a world record fee of £89m - and he got himself a huge contract to boot.

He had initially left his youth club United on a free to join Juventus, but went on to win two Serie A titles, as well as two Coppa Italias, becoming a key part of their side.

Since his return, Pogba struggled for form under former boss Jose Mourinho - but has recently flourished under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and has proved his worth.

There is two years remaining on Pogba's deal.

Mesut Ozil (Arsenal) - £350,000-per-week (Sh46 million)

Ozil has been a key man, but often a maligned figure, at Arsenal since he joined back in 2013.

He signed for Arsenal for a club-record deal worth £42.5million after building his reputation as one of the world's best playmakers for Real Madrid and Germany.

During his first season, Ozil played a major part in ending the clubs nine-year trophy drought as they won the FA Cup, but has struggled to keep the fans on side with inconsistent performances since.

He had looked set to leave around the same time as Alexis Sanchez, but agreed terms on a significant new contract.

That deal runs until the summer of 2021.

Alexis Sanchez (Manchester United) - £391,000-per-week (Sh52 million)

The highest-earning Premier League player is Manchester United forward Alexis Sanchez.

When you break his contract down, the Chilean is an astonishing £2,900 an hour - which is 80p a second.

Sanchez made a name for himself in Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona before in 2014, he switched Spain for England as he joined Arsenal.

After becoming a key man in the Arsenal team, there were disagreements over a new contract and Sanchez made the move north to Manchester United in a swap deal with Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

But it has not worked out quite how some United fans would have liked, having never reached the same level as he did at Arsenal.

Sanchez is under contract until the summer of 2022.