Club’s boosted revenue from Champions League has triggered wage rises but could make departures more difficult to negotiate in the summer
Manchester United will increase the salaries of most players in the squad by 25 per cent after confirming their return to the Champions League for next season.
This is due to a clause in the players’ contract that restores their wages to the original value if they reach Europe’s premier competition. When United failed to make the Champions League two seasons ago it triggered wage cuts across the squad.
The pay boost follows United’s qualification for the elite competition after victory over Liverpool at Old Trafford on Sunday. The result leaves them third in the Premier League with 64 points, having won 10 of 14 matches under interim manager Michael Carrick.
With the departure of Casemiro, captain Bruno Fernandes will be the highest earner at the club, with his weekly wage set to rise to around £250,000. It is unclear what Marcus Rashford would earn should Barcelona decline the option to sign him in the summer and he returns to Old Trafford, but his salary will also be restored to its original value, which could be the highest at the club.
Goalkeeper Andre Onana, currently on loan at Trabzonspor, is set to return to Manchester at the end of the season and his salary will also be restored to its original value. The increases could make permanent transfers for both Rashford and Onana more difficult to negotiate in the summer.
Carrick, who replaced Ruben Amorim in January and is now set to finish third with United is expected to be offered the role on a permanent basis. He has spoken of the financial benefits of the club’s return to the Champions League and how it can aid squad building for next season.
“I think it’s pretty obvious to everyone to understand if you finish certain places in the league financially it makes a lot of difference,” Carrick said.
The club’s improved financial position could strengthen their pursuit of transfer targets, including the highly rated Elliot Anderson, although competition from Manchester City remains a factor. Aurelien Tchouameni of Real Madrid has also been mooted as a potential alternative.
