Manchester United have rewarded Kobbie Mainoo with a new long-term contract and a marked pay rise, reportedly worth around £150,000 per week, equivalent to roughly $202,000. The extension is understood to run until 2031 and arrives after a period in which Mainoo moved from occasional appearances under Erik ten Hag to a breakthrough in the 2023–24 campaign.

The midfielder finished that season with a goal in the FA Cup final and later started for England in the Euro 2024 final. His progress had stalled at times amid injuries and doubts over whether Ruben Amorim would pair him with Bruno Fernandes rather than replace the club captain. Those issues prompted speculation about an Old Trafford exit rather than an extension of a deal previously set to expire in 2027.

The arrival of Michael Carrick in the coaching staff coincided with a reversal of Mainoo’s fortunes. Now a regular starter in a side back in the Champions League, Mainoo has secured what media reports describe as a “bumper” increase, taking his weekly pay to the $202,000 area according to the Daily Mail. That figure is almost double what he could command across the previous three years but remains well below Manchester United’s top earners.

Casemiro is widely viewed as the club’s top earner and is understood to be on about $470,000 per week, a sum that helps explain United’s willingness to move him on. Bruno Fernandes sits in a similar top bracket and is thought to earn around $405,000 per week, per The Telegraph. Marcus Rashford would be entitled to a comparable wage should he return from his loan at Barcelona at season’s end, as expected.

Elsewhere in the squad, Matheus Cunha signed for roughly $270,000 per week after his move from Wolverhampton Wanderers. Matthijs de Ligt was reported on about $260,000 per week, while Benjamin Šeško’s deal was reported at around $216,000 per week by Sportklub. Bryan Mbeumo is cited at $202,000 per week by The Guardian, the same figure attributed to Mainoo.

“I think it was also important that Benjamin’s desire has always been Manchester United,” Elvis Basanovič revealed. “Because of that, he was willing to accept a slightly lower salary and I also accepted a lower commission.”

A simple ranking of weekly wages reported in public sources places Casemiro first on $470,000, Bruno Fernandes second on $405,000, followed by Matheus Cunha ($270,000), Matthijs de Ligt ($260,000), Benjamin Šeško ($216,000), and a tie at $202,000 for Bryan Mbeumo and Kobbie Mainoo.

As Casemiro approaches the end of his Manchester United contract, interest from Major League Soccer clubs has been widely reported. Inter Miami are often mentioned among suitors, but the club’s roster and salary mechanisms create a major barrier to signing the Brazilian midfielder.

Reports suggest Casemiro earns $20 million per season at Old Trafford. Inter Miami already have three designated players locked through the 2027–28 season: Lionel Messi, Rodrigo De Paul and Germán Berterame. The club also has three players signed under the U-22 Initiative, the maximum permitted when a team carries three senior designated players. To add Berterame, Miami loaned a fourth U-22 Initiative player, Tomás Avilés, to CF Montréal.

Fabrizio Romano says the club are “really serious” about signing the Man Utd star, but the mechanics are complex. Miami could convert to two designated player slots to free a U-22 Initiative spot, yet that would allow only a younger signing, not a veteran aged 34 like Casemiro. A move would therefore likely require either replacing a current star or a deep roster rework.

Allocation tools also limit Miami’s options. Targeted Allocation Money is used to reduce a salary cap hit for players earning between $803,125 and $1,803,125, but Casemiro’s reported wages sit well above that range. General Allocation Money, which can buy down salaries under $803,125, is minimal for Miami; the club is reported to have only $17,361 in GAM. By comparison, the Colorado Rapids hold $6,380,121 for 2026, while Miami’s 2025 MLS Cup opponent, Vancouver Whitecaps, sit with $20,945.

Without selling or trading significant assets or shedding a designated player, the only practical way for Casemiro to join Inter Miami would be on a salary below $803,125. With the league team salary near the reported maximum of $6,425,000, adding another high-earner looks highly unlikely unless Miami undertakes a major roster upheaval.

Atlético Madrid are preparing a contract proposal that would elevate Julián Álvarez to the club’s highest-paid player as a response to reported interest from Arsenal and Barcelona.

According to MARCA, Atlético are inclined to convert a current uncertainty into certainty by offering Álvarez a net salary of $11.5 million per year, up from his present $8.1 million. That net figure is understood to translate to a gross sum in the region of $21.4 million annually, which would match the club’s top earner, Jan Oblak.

Talks have not formally begun, though Álvarez is believed to be aware of Atlético’s thinking. The Argentine finds himself in a position of power ahead of a potentially decisive summer transfer window. “Maybe yes, maybe no, you never know,” he helpfully added.

Arsenal and Barcelona have both been linked, but their financial circumstances differ markedly in the report. Arsenal, backed by Premier League resources, recently made Bukayo Saka the club’s highest earner with a wage equivalent to $20.7 million a year. The Gunners are reportedly obliged to sell this summer to remain compliant with Premier League financial rules after multiple years of heavy outlays and limited offsetting income. Since the 2021–22 campaign, only one club in world soccer has recorded a larger net spend than Arsenal.

Barcelona’s position has been more constrained. The club have been described as so cash-strapped they removed free breakfasts for academy players in recent years. President Joan Laporta inherited significant financial problems stemming from mismanagement and the COVID-19 pandemic, but Barcelona have used palancas to channel available funds back into the playing squad. As Johan Cruyff once said: “The money should be on the pitch. Not in the bank.”

That approach has funded Robert Lewandowski’s sizable salary, reportedly around $27.6 million. Lewandowski is out of contract this summer and is set to move on, creating a potential squad and accounting vacancy that the reports suggest Álvarez could fill if Barcelona pursue him.

The immediate outcome remains uncertain, but Atlético’s reported plan is clear: use a substantial pay rise to retain Álvarez and deter rival suitors.