Manchester United’s wage bill has been a major question in recent seasons, with spending on players that have surpassed the league since 2024/25.
The Red Devils had the second-highest wage bill in the Premier League last season, spending an astounding £180 million on wages alone.
Reuben Amorim is left to the challenge of reducing such figures over the summer – he partially achieved the deadline day.
The club agreed to rent and send Jadon Sancho to Aston Villa for the entire 2025/26 season.
However, if they agreed to a deal with one of the numerous targets on the radar during the summer transfer period, the hierarchy would have spent some of the saved money.
United will move to land Wharton & Baleva this summer
Through the transfer window, United targeted the team’s new midfielder moves and pursued a contract with Crystal Palace star Adam Wharton.
The Red Devils were reportedly keen on the England International contract, but after the Amorim side was quoted in the £100 million region, the Switch was reported to be unlikely.
Another option they considered was Brighton & Hove Albion star Carlos Valleva, who even had discussions with player representatives about the switch to Old Trafford.
At one stage, the player himself appeared to be embracing a switch to join the Red Devils, but like Wharton, he stayed with his current employer after the Seagulls stated he was not for sale.
The hierarchy has not been able to land a new midfielder for Amorim, but they still have players in books that need to be sold desperately in the near future.
United players earning more than Wharton and Valeva
United currently has many top-level talent in their books, and academy alumni Cobbie Mineau is just one of Amorim’s free options at the moment.
However, the British have discovered that it’s difficult to go for minutes over the last few months and have not started any of their Premier League outings.
As a result, the 20-year-old made his feelings clear before Monday’s deadline. He then asked to temporarily leave Old Trafford to earn valuable game time.
He is behind Manuel Ugarte and Bruno Fernandez, in pecking order, Brazilian Casemiro is another player Amorim clearly trusts in place of Mine.
The former Real Madrid star joined the £60 million contract in the summer of 2022, but has been declining rapidly recently – at the age of 33, heading towards the backend of his career.
Despite his age, Casemiro has started all three league outings, but has struggled to impress so far, completing only 80% of the passes he attempted on England’s top flight.
However, despite his recent start on Amorim’s side, his future appears in the air, leaving the player with one deal on his contract at Old Trafford.
He probably would have been offloaded before before, and his final campaign of performance failed to catch the eye, with Mark Goldbridge dubbing him as “shocking.”
His current £350k-heweek Pay packets are far more than what he should earn. Such a person makes him the best earner on the team and takes home a staggering £18.2m each season.
Man UTD’s Best Earners (2025/26) | ||
|---|---|---|
Rank | player | Total wage per week |
1 | Casemiro | £350,000 |
= 2 | Bruno Fernandez | £300,000 |
3 | Jadon Sancho | £250,000 |
4 | Matthijs de ligt | £195,000 |
5 | Harry Maguire | £190,000 |
6 | Matheus Cunha | £180,000 |
Statistics by Capology | ||
The Brazilians are currently making more than Wharton and Valeva, and the pair currently only earns £35,000 and £12.5k, respectively.
Given his mammoth income, United will need to clear players from the bill with the real driving force that will need to continue with the cost-cutting operations.
There are now more better, cheaper options available in European football. This should make Amorim re-purpose the move of one of the aforementioned talents in the near future.