Mohamed Salah and Liverpool have been involved in a contract stand-off for some time now.
As reported by The Athletic, the Egyptian wants a deal that would make him the sixth highest paid player in the world - a position currently held by Kevin De Bruyne thanks to his £400k-per-week salary.
It's an unholy figure, but one that Salah comparatively deserves when you consider his level of performance over the past few seasons.
Liverpool, though, are reluctant to break their strict wage structure for fear of the ripple effect it would have across the rest of the squad.
Instead, it's been reported that Liverpool have offered Salah a 15% wage rise which equates to around £230k-per-week.
So there's still a lot of ground to cover if any deal was to materialise over the coming twelve months.
But let's say Liverpool do make the gigantic leap to keep their star man, who would be the five players still earning more than him? And more importantly, how much are they on?
The five highest paid footballers in the world
5. Andres Iniesta (Vissel Kobe) - $31 million / year
Thought Iniesta had retired? Think again. Although why on earth would he retire when he's getting paid crazy sums like this at the ripe old age of 38!?
You can bet Iniesta has been gracefully gliding through the Japanse J1 league like a swan through water if he's even got half the quality left in him from his glory days.
In his time with the club, he's lifted the Emperor's Cup and the Japanese Super Cup.
KOBE, JAPAN - MARCH 15: Andres Iniesta of Vissel Kobe in action during the AFC Champions League qualifying playoff match between Vissel Kobe and Melbourne Victory at Noevir Stadium Kobe on March 15, 2022 in Kobe, Hyogo,Japan. (Photo by Masashi Hara/Getty Images)
4. Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United) - $36 million / year
It's honestly surprising that CR7 isn't coming in first or second position here, but the financial mite of PSG is really about to shine through.
Ronaldo is technically the highest paid player in Premier League history, though.
Not to mention that his 447 million Instagram followers combined with his plethora of lucrative endorsement deals will supplement that income rather nicely.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - MAY 02: Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United smiles following the Premier League match between Manchester United and Brentford at Old Trafford on May 02, 2022 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
3. Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain) - $36.5 million / year
Ready for the PSG hattrick?
Neymar's current PSG deal runs until 2025 and includes a hefty bonus if the French club go on to lift the Champions League trophy.
2. Lionel Messi (Paris-Saint-Germain) - $41 million / year
When Messi shocked the world by becoming a free agent in the summer of 2021, PSG forked out big to secure the services of arguably the greatest player to ever do it.
The Argentine's first season hasn't delivered to expectation in truth, so next year he'll be desperate to put on a display that warrants his mammoth salary.
PARIS, FRANCE - AUGUST 11: Lionel Messi poses with his jersey next to President Nasser Al Khelaifi and Leonardo after the press conference of Paris Saint-Germain at Parc des Princes on August 11, 2021 in Paris, France. (Photo by Sebastien Muylaert/Getty Images)
- Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain) - $62 million / year
The Frenchman's move to Real Madrid was supposedly a done deal, however it seems the stratospheric contract offer from his current club was simply too good to refuse.
Mbappe reportedly was granted an enormous signing on fee in the region of £100 million, per Sky Sports, as well as being given access to input in key club decisions such as coaching appointments and player recruitment.
Player power nowadays, ey?