Newcastle United are reportedly willing to smash their current wage structure after being strongly linked with the signing of Aaron Ramsey - a player currently on an eyewatering £400,000 a week at Juventus.
Italian outlet Calcio Mercato reported that the Welshman is keen on the idea of return to the Premier League, but his prospective wages would be more than five times higher than the current top earner at St James' Park.
Joelinton leads the way in the wages table rather than the goalscoring ranks for the Magpies, with sportrac.com listing his weekly salary at £86,538. A very healthy sum of money, but below some of the obscene figures quoted in the modern game.
The Brazilian is still yet to score this season and has a rather modest record of just 10 goals in 88 appearances for the club to date.
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Former Liverpool man Jonjo Shelvey is second on the list with a highly-respectable £70,000 a week, while Sweden international defender Emil Krafth comes third at £57,692 a week.
Allan Saint-Maximin is listed a good way down the list and reportedly earns a comparatively measly £38,462 a week - more than 10 times less what Ramsey could demand if he makes the move to Tyneside.
The Frenchman has been a shining light in what has otherwise been a dismal start to the season for the Magpies, with 2 goals and 3 assists across 8 appearances in all competitions to date.
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According to transfermarkt, he is Newcastle's highest-valued player at £27million, meaning the 24-year-old has every right to feel a little hard done by on the wages front.
But that is a more than a princely sum when comparing it to the salary of local lad Sean Longstaff. The 23-year-old will be looking for a handsome pay rise with his current contract due to expire next year, as he currently earns only £1,000 a week.
It all means that Newcastle's new Saudi-led regime will have a big task on their hands to keep their existing stars happy by inevitably increasing their wages to match the inevitable new additions to the squad. This is all while adhering to financial fair play regulations.
Some interesting times lie ahead at St James' Park!
Topics: Football, Premier League, Allan Saint-Maximin, Newcastle United