PREMIER LEAGUE · MIDFIELDERS · 2026/27
Highest paid Premier League midfielders
Bruno Fernandes is the best-paid midfielder in the Premier League, on £300,000 a week at Manchester United, or £15,600,000 a year. Declan Rice is next on £250,000 at Arsenal. We hold wages for 314 Premier League midfielders in 2026/27.
BEST PAID £300k
AVERAGE WAGE £76,710
SHARE OF WAGE BILL17%
TOP 10 A WEEK £2.1m
WAGES HELD314
The 50 best-paid Premier League midfielders
Weekly wage, 2026/27. A player who plays in two areas of the pitch is on both lists, at the full wage.
| # | PLAYER | WEEKLY | YEARLY | CLUB | AGE | POSITION | NATION |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bruno Fernandes | £300,000£300k | £15,600,000£15.6m | Manchester United | 30 | Defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder | Portugal |
| 2 | Declan Rice | £250,000£250k | £13,000,000£13.0m | Arsenal | 26 | Defensive midfielder | England |
| 3 | Reece James | £250,000£250k | £13,000,000£13.0m | Chelsea | 25 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | England |
| 4 | Elliot Anderson | £250,000£250k | £13,000,000£13.0m | Manchester City | 22 | Defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder | England |
| 5 | Ryan Gravenberch | £200,000£200k | £10,400,000£10.4m | Liverpool | 23 | Defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder | Netherlands |
| 6 | Bruno Guimarães | £180,000£180k | £9,360,000£9.4m | Arsenal | 27 | Defensive midfielder | Brazil |
| 7 | Enzo Fernández | £180,000£180k | £9,360,000£9.4m | Manchester City | 24 | Defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder | Argentina |
| 8 | Alexis Mac Allister | £175,000£175k | £9,100,000£9.1m | Liverpool | 26 | Defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder | Argentina |
| 9 | Mateo Kovacic | £165,000£165k | £8,580,000£8.6m | Manchester City | 31 | Defensive midfielder | Croatia |
| 10 | Sandro Tonali | £165,000£165k | £8,580,000£8.6m | Tottenham Hotspur | 25 | Defensive midfielder | Italy |
| 11 | Youri Tielemans | £155,000£155k | £8,060,000£8.1m | Manchester United | 28 | Defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder | Belgium |
| 12 | Boubacar Kamara | £150,000£150k | £7,800,000£7.8m | Aston Villa | 25 | Defensive midfielder | France |
| 13 | Marco Palestra | £150,000£150k | £7,800,000£7.8m | Chelsea | 20 | Right-back, right midfielder | Italy |
| 14 | Manuel Ugarte | £150,000£150k | £7,800,000£7.8m | Manchester United | 24 | Defensive midfielder | Uruguay |
| 15 | Kobbie Mainoo | £150,000£150k | £7,800,000£7.8m | Manchester United | 20 | Defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder | England |
| 16 | Nico González | £150,000£150k | £7,800,000£7.8m | Newcastle United | 23 | Defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder | Spain |
| 17 | James Garner | £145,000£145k | £7,540,000£7.5m | Everton | 24 | Defensive midfielder | England |
| 18 | Dominik Szoboszlai | £145,000£145k | £7,540,000£7.5m | Liverpool | 24 | Defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder | Hungary |
| 19 | Mikel Merino | £140,000£140k | £7,280,000£7.3m | Arsenal | 29 | Defensive midfielder | Spain |
| 20 | Moisés Caicedo | £140,000£140k | £7,280,000£7.3m | Chelsea | 23 | Defensive midfielder | Ecuador |
| 21 | Miloš Kerkez | £140,000£140k | £7,280,000£7.3m | Liverpool | 21 | Left-back, left midfielder | Hungary |
| 22 | Exequiel Palacios | £124,000£124k | £6,448,000£6.4m | Ipswich Town | 26 | Defensive midfielder | Argentina |
| 23 | Andrey Santos | £120,000£120k | £6,240,000£6.2m | Manchester United | 21 | Defensive midfielder | Brazil |
| 24 | Conor Gallagher | £120,000£120k | £6,240,000£6.2m | Tottenham Hotspur | 25 | Defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder | England |
| 25 | Martín Zubimendi | £115,000£115k | £5,980,000£6.0m | Arsenal | 26 | Defensive midfielder | Spain |
| 26 | Pascal Groß | £115,000£115k | £5,980,000£6.0m | Brighton & Hove Albion | 34 | Defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder | Germany |
| 27 | Granit Xhaka | £115,000£115k | £5,980,000£6.0m | Sunderland | 32 | Defensive midfielder | Switzerland |
| 28 | Pedro Porro | £112,000£112k | £5,824,000£5.8m | Tottenham Hotspur | 25 | Right-back, right midfielder | Spain |
| 29 | Amadou Onana | £110,000£110k | £5,720,000£5.7m | Aston Villa | 23 | Defensive midfielder | Belgium |
| 30 | Daichi Kamada | £110,000£110k | £5,720,000£5.7m | Crystal Palace | 28 | Defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder | Japan |
| 31 | Gylfi Sigurðsson | £110,000£110k | £5,720,000£5.7m | Everton | 30 | Central midfielder, attacking midfielder | Iceland |
| 32 | Kostas Tsimikas | £110,000£110k | £5,720,000£5.7m | Liverpool | 29 | Left-back, left midfielder | Greece |
| 33 | Rodrigo Bentancur | £110,000£110k | £5,720,000£5.7m | Tottenham Hotspur | 28 | Defensive midfielder | Uruguay |
| 34 | Christian Nørgaard | £100,000£100k | £5,200,000£5.2m | Everton | 31 | Defensive midfielder | Denmark |
| 35 | Wataru Endo | £91,000£91k | £4,732,000£4.7m | Liverpool | 32 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Japan |
| 36 | Murillo | £89,000£89k | £4,628,000£4.6m | Nottingham Forest | 23 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Brazil |
| 37 | Ross Barkley | £88,000£88k | £4,576,000£4.6m | Aston Villa | 31 | Defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder | England |
| 38 | Rico Lewis | £88,000£88k | £4,576,000£4.6m | Manchester City | 20 | Right-back, defensive midfielder | England |
| 39 | Johan Manzambi | £85,000£85k | £4,420,000£4.4m | Aston Villa | 19 | Defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder | Switzerland |
| 40 | Cheick Doucouré | £82,000£82k | £4,264,000£4.3m | Crystal Palace | 25 | Defensive midfielder | Mali |
| 41 | Ibrahim Sangaré | £81,000£81k | £4,212,000£4.2m | Nottingham Forest | 27 | Defensive midfielder | Côte d’Ivoire |
| 42 | Joe Willock | £80,000£80k | £4,160,000£4.2m | Newcastle United | 25 | Central midfielder | England |
| 43 | Xaver Schlager | £79,000£79k | £4,108,000£4.1m | Nottingham Forest | 27 | Defensive midfielder | Austria |
| 44 | Ola Aina | £79,000£79k | £4,108,000£4.1m | Nottingham Forest | 28 | Full-back, wide midfielder | Nigeria |
| 45 | Anton Stach | £78,000£78k | £4,056,000£4.1m | Leeds United | 26 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Germany |
| 46 | Archie Gray | £78,000£78k | £4,056,000£4.1m | Tottenham Hotspur | 19 | Right-back, defensive midfielder | England |
| 47 | João Gomes | £75,000£75k | £3,900,000£3.9m | Aston Villa | 24 | Defensive midfielder | Brazil |
| 48 | Daniel Muñoz | £72,000£72k | £3,744,000£3.7m | Nottingham Forest | 29 | Right-back, right midfielder | Colombia |
| 49 | Thomas Meunier | £72,000£72k | £3,744,000£3.7m | Sunderland | 33 | Right-back, right midfielder | Belgium |
| 50 | Jefferson Lerma | £70,000£70k | £3,640,000£3.6m | Crystal Palace | 30 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Colombia |
What each position earns in the Premier League
Average weekly wage of the players aged 22 or over we hold a wage for
Midfielders take 17% of what the Premier League pays its players of that age. The four shares add up to the whole bill, because a player who plays in two areas gives half the wage to each.
The clubs that pay their midfielders the most
Every midfielder wage we hold at each Premier League club, added together, a week
Liverpool pay 23 midfielders £917,130 a week between them, and Ryan Gravenberch takes 22% of it.
The best-paid midfielder at every Premier League club
20 clubs, 2026/27, with where each ranks among the league's midfielders
| CLUB | PLAYER | WEEKLY | RANK |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester United | Bruno Fernandes | £300,000£300k | 1 |
| Arsenal | Declan Rice | £250,000£250k | 2 |
| Manchester City | Elliot Anderson | £250,000£250k | 4 |
| Chelsea | Reece James | £250,000£250k | 3 |
| Liverpool | Ryan Gravenberch | £200,000£200k | 5 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | Sandro Tonali | £165,000£165k | 10 |
| Aston Villa | Boubacar Kamara | £150,000£150k | 12 |
| Newcastle United | Nico González | £150,000£150k | 16 |
| Everton | James Garner | £145,000£145k | 17 |
| Ipswich Town | Exequiel Palacios | £124,000£124k | 22 |
| Sunderland | Granit Xhaka | £115,000£115k | 27 |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | Pascal Groß | £115,000£115k | 26 |
| Crystal Palace | Daichi Kamada | £110,000£110k | 30 |
| Nottingham Forest | Murillo | £89,000£89k | 36 |
| Leeds United | Anton Stach | £78,000£78k | 45 |
| AFC Bournemouth | Adrien Truffert | £63,000£63k | 56 |
| Fulham | Sander Berge | £63,000£63k | 57 |
| Brentford | Vitaly Janelt | £52,000£52k | 70 |
| Coventry City | Frank Onyeka | £40,000£40k | 89 |
| Hull City | Hidemasa Morita | £26,000£26k | 104 |
The best-paid midfielder in every men's league
43 leagues, ordered by their best-paid midfielder. The Premier League ranks fourth.
| LEAGUE | BEST PAID | WEEKLY | AVERAGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saudi Pro League | Otávio | £472,000£472k | £49,687£50k |
| Süper Lig | N'Golo Kanté | £348,000£348k | £21,488£21k |
| Bundesliga | Joshua Kimmich | £315,000£315k | £39,483£39k |
| Premier League | Bruno Fernandes | £300,000£300k | £76,710£77k |
| Major League Soccer | Casemiro | £300,000£300k | £11,731£12k |
| Ligue 1 | Marquinhos | £279,000£279k | £30,015£30k |
| La Liga | Trent Alexander-Arnold | £249,000£249k | £40,838£41k |
| Serie A | John Stones | £200,000£200k | £44,528£45k |
| Primeira Liga | João Palhinha | £199,000£199k | £11,158£11k |
| Championship | Kalvin Phillips | £165,000£165k | £20,131£20k |
| Croatian First League | Ismaël Bennacer | £117,000£117k | £4,206£4k |
| Brasileirão Série A | Arthur | £99,000£99k | £10,842£11k |
| Eredivisie | Lutsharel Geertruida | £99,000£99k | £9,142£9k |
| 2. Bundesliga | Maximilian Arnold | £74,000£74k | £11,170£11k |
| Russian Premier League | Wendel | £71,000£71k | £16,664£17k |
| Liga MX | Carlos Gruezo | £64,000£64k | £6,811£7k |
| League One | Boubakary Soumaré | £58,000£58k | £6,405£6k |
| Serie B | Ali Al Musrati | £55,000£55k | £8,344£8k |
| La Liga 2 | Donny van de Beek | £54,000£54k | £5,199£5k |
| Super Liga | Leandro Paredes | £44,000£44k | £4,100£4k |
| Chinese Super League | Ibrahim Amadou | £42,000£42k | £5,544£6k |
| Scottish Premiership | Callum McGregor | £39,000£39k | £5,790£6k |
| J1 League | Oriol Romeu | £35,000£35k | £4,063£4k |
| Danish Superliga | Philip Billing | £35,000£35k | £7,123£7k |
| Superleague Greece | Christos Zafeiris | £33,000£33k | £7,533£8k |
| Czech First League | Sivert Mannsverk | £33,000£33k | £2,010£2k |
| Belgian Pro League | László Bénes | £25,000£25k | £6,702£7k |
| Ekstraklasa | Karol Linetty | £25,000£25k | £3,410£3k |
| Ligue 2 | Ibou Sissoko | £21,000£21k | £4,966£5k |
| Austrian Bundesliga | Bendegúz Bolla | £20,000£20k | £3,500£4k |
| Belgian Challenger Pro League | Mats Rits | £16,000£16k | £2,048£2k |
| Eliteserien | Hrannar Snær Magnússon | £13,000£13k | £2,231£2k |
| League Two | Joe Williams | £12,000£12k | £2,560£3k |
| Categoría Primera A | Élan Ricardo | £11,000£11k | £3,852£4k |
| Thai League | Roque Mesa | £8,000£8k | £2,247£2k |
| Indian Super League | Lalengmawia | £5,500£6k | £707£707 |
| Veikkausliiga | Alexander Ring | £4,500£5k | £708£708 |
| Scottish Championship | Graeme Shinnie | £4,200£4k | £907£907 |
| National League | Jake Rooney | £4,100£4k | £1,293£1k |
| A-League | Jake Girdwood-Reich | £4,100£4k | £1,219£1k |
| I-League | Jordi Altena | £3,100£3k | £364£364 |
| Canadian Premier League | Manuel Aparicio | £810£810 | £458£458 |
| Meistriliiga | Modou Tambedou | £484£484 | £161£161 |
Frequently asked questions
Who is the highest paid midfielder in the Premier League?
Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United, on £300,000 a week in 2026/27, or £15,600,000 a year. Declan Rice of Arsenal is second on £250,000 a week.
How much do Premier League midfielders earn?
The average Premier League midfielder aged 22 or over earns £76,710 a week, and the median one £58,500. Midfielders take 17% of what the Premier League pays its players of that age.
Which Premier League club pays its midfielders the most?
Liverpool, £917,130 a week across the 23 midfielders we hold a wage for, led by Ryan Gravenberch on £200,000.
Who is the highest paid midfielder in football?
Of the 43 men's leagues we rank midfielders in, the best-paid is Otávio of Al-Qadsiah Football Club in the Saudi Pro League, on £472,000 a week. The best-paid in the Premier League ranks fourth of the 43 leagues on that measure.
Where to next
The same Premier League squads, cut a different way
See the highest paid Premier League players in every position, the best-paid player at every club, what Premier League players are paid at every age, or the Premier League wage bill, club by club.