Premier League average weekly wage tops £50,000 to become highest in world football

AVERAGE wages in the Premier League have risen above £50,000-a-week for the first time ever… but Europe’s richest clubs are still paying more.

Manchester United remain the biggest spenders in England with an annual wage bill of £5.2million per player or £100,792-a-week.

Noisy neighbours Manchester City are close behind with their players pocketing an average £100,691.

But three European clubs have a higher wage bill according to the 2017 global sports salaries survey.

Barcelona, who recently tied Lionel Messi down to a new mega-contract, top the bill spending an extraordinary average of £126,875 per player every week.

French giants Paris Saint-Germain have moved up five places into second largely down to the big money signings of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.

Unsurprisingly Real Madrid round up the top three with each footballer taking an average weekly wage of £119,708.

But the overall average spending in the Premier League completely outweighs those of Europe’s other top leagues.

Nine of the top 20 clubs are in the England’s top flight with the likes of Leicester having a higher wage bill than Valencia.

Compared to the Premier League’s £50,817-a-week average, Italy’s Serie A averages £25,492, La Liga £32,309, the Bundesliga £24,142 and finally Ligue 1 which is £18,162.