Jesse Lingard has been on the hunt for a new club this summer having left Manchester United as a free agent.The 29-year-old had called Old Trafford his home since the turn of the century, but this summer finally marked the time for club and player to part ways on the back of a 2021/22 season that produced very little game time.Having enjoyed a sensational loan spell at West Ham United in which he scored nine goals and provided five assists, Lingard looked to have earned one more shot at making the grade for the Red Devils.

Lingard close to Forest move

However, despite a promising start in which he scored two Premier League goals, the general consensus quickly became that Lingard should wave goodbye to United upon the expiration of his contract in 2022.

And while there has no doubt been a lot of interest surrounding his availability and for good reason, too, it's not been until the last few days that the Lingard transfer saga finally picked up steam.

The result? Well, it's newly-promoted Nottingham Forest who have actually won the race for his signature with the son of the club's owner, Miltiadis Marinakis, welcoming him on Thursday night.

The player himself also confirmed the news with a 'done deal' video where he can be seen sporting a Forest scarf, cutting his trademark 'J-Lingz' pose and declaring: 'Let's go,' as he sees in a new phase of his career.

Lingard's huge Forest wages

Given that Lingard has been linked to clubs who have retained their Premier League status year upon year upon year, it's perhaps a little surprising to see a man of his talents signing for a club fresh from the Championship.

But it seems as though the two-time European champions presented Lingard with an offer that he simply couldn't refuse. Like, seriously.

That's because the Guardian's Jacob Steinberg, as well as The Times, have reported that Lingard agreed terms with Forest to the tune of almost £200,000-a-week.

It's explained that West Ham were feeling confident about a reunion with Lingard and that despite being reluctant to meet the player's preference for a £180,000-a-week deal, believed that a wage of £150,000-a-week would be enough to tempt him.

However, Forest have confirmed the signing of the England international, duly ripping up their wage structure which Dean Henderson seemingly tops at the moment with the club paying his £110,000-a-week United wages.

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While the exact figure that Lingard looks set to pocket at the City Ground hasn't been revealed, the fact that it's even close to £200,000-a-week means that he will become the Premier League's highest-paid player outside of the 'big six' clubs by our calculations.

Lingard's reported wages in context

According to spotrac data, if Lingard is going to earn at least £190,000-a-week, then he would become the 19th highest-paid player in England's top-flight.

The only players reported to be earning more are Cristiano Ronaldo, Kevin De Bruyne, David de Gea, Mohamed Salah, Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane, Jack Grealish, N'Golo Kante, Timo Werner, John Stones, Anthony Martial, Virgil van Dijk, Thomas Partey, Thiago Alcantara, Marcus Rashford, Harry Kane and Tanguy Ndombele.

Currently, the highest-paid Premier League player outside of the 'big six' clubs is reported to be Jamie Vardy (£140,000-a-week), then Wilfried Zaha and Kasper Schmeichel (£130,000-a-week).

The data is also corroborated by The Sun's recent list of the top-earning player at all 20 clubs with only 'top six' players tipping the scales at more than £150,000-a-week.

Soccer Football - Premier League - Manchester United v West Ham United - Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain - January 22, 2022 Manchester United's Jesse Lingard during the warm up before the match REUTERS/Phil Noble EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club /league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.

For context, the Telegraph reported that Philippe Coutinho will be pocketing £125,000-a-week upon making his move from Barcelona to Aston Villa a permanent one.

That, and the fact that Lingard was reported to be earning £80,000-a-week at Old Trafford, meaning that his Forest contract looks set to represent a pay rise of more than double.

Kudos to Lingard

Now, it's really worth stressing that none of this is necessarily bad. Like, at all.

Lingard is an incredibly talented sportsmen and a career in football doesn't last forever, so kudos to him for putting himself in a position where he can earn top dollar for his family and loved ones. You wouldn't say no, would you?

We just can't pretend as though it's not surprising that a newly-promoted club who haven't played a single Premier League game this century would completely tear up their wage structure to side-swipe West Ham.

Besides, when The Sun named Forest's highest earner on June 2, it was Ethan Horvath who came out on top with £19,000-a-week wages. Mad.

Like we say, though, if the deal goes indeed go through, then you've got to applaud Lingard and wish him all the very best. He could be absolutely critical to Forest's hopes of dodging the drop.

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