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Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool have become one of the most prolific teams in Europe's top five leagues in the last few years. Like many other teams in the Premier League, that has required the Reds to dig deep into their coffers.
Many of the Reds' most expensive transfers have taken place in the last five years. That helped the club win the Champions League in 2019 and their first Premier League title the next year.
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Liverpool have one of the highest wage bills across Europe's top five leagues
The Reds have an annual wage bill of £139.17 million. That is comparable with the Premier League's other top clubs. Manchester United (£226.6 million) lead the pack ahead of Chelsea (£166 million) and Manchester City (£143 million).
Across Europe's top five leagues, only Barcelona (£190.16 million), Real Madrid (£159.68 million) and Bayern Munich (£150.61 million/€180.72 million) have heftier wage bills than Liverpool.
On that note, here's a look at the five best-paid players at Liverpool (as per Spotrac) at the moment:
#5 Roberto Firmino - £180,000 per week
Roberto Firmino has earned a lot of praise for his selflessness in the final third during his stint with Klopp's team.
He has scored 60 goals in over 223 appearances for the Reds in the Premier League. However, his major contribution has been creating chances and space for his attacking colleagues Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah to apply the finishing touch.
Firmino signed for the Merseyside club in 2015 for a fee of £29 million. The club have reaped rich dividends on their investment during the six seasons he has been with them.
Roberto Firmino signed a contract extension with the Reds in 2018, which would keep him at the club till the summer of 2023.
If he doesn't agree a new deal soon, the Reds could sell him in the summer to avoid losing him for free next year. However, considering the player's utility, Klopp is unlikely to take that route.
#4 Trent Alexander-Arnold - £180,000 per week
Trent Alexander-Arnold is one of the best academy products to have graduated out of Liverpool's youth system in recent years. He has established himself as one of the best right-backs in the world at the moment.
Since the start of the 2018-19 season, only Bayern Munich's Thomas Müller (64) and Lionel Messi (47) have provided more assists in Europe's top five leagues than Alexander-Arnold (42).
The Englishman is an important part of Klopp's squad, and also takes set-piece duties for the team. He makes the same amount in a year as Firmino and Fabinho. Alexander-Arnold signed a contract extension with his boyhood club last summer that would keep him at Anfield till 2025.
#3 Mohamed Salah - £200,000 per week
Liverpool's Mohamed Salah has hit the ground running this season. He has 16 goals and nine assists in the Premier League, while he has scored a further seven in the Champions League.
His current contract with the Reds expires in the summer of 2023. Given the form he is in at the moment, Salah is in a good position to negotiate a new contract.
As per reports, it is understood that the 29-year-old wants to extend his stay at the club. However, he wants to be made the best-paid player at the club, and might not settle for anything less than £400,000 per week.
#2 Thiago Alcantara - £200,000 per week
Thiago Alcantara is one of the most elegant midfielders of his generation. However, he has struggled to cement his place in the Liverpool squad since his arrival in the summer of 2020. Injuries have hindered his progress at the club, but he has produced moments of brilliance when fully fit.
Alcantara scored a great goal in a Champions League group game this season. His strike from 25 yards out helped the Reds beat Porto 2-0 in November last year.
He was snapped up for £20 million by the Merseyside club in 2020, with only a year left on his contract with Bayern Munich. With reported annual wages of £10,400,000, he currently earns the same as Salah. Alcantara is contracted with the Reds till 2024.
#1 Virgil Van Dijk - £220,000 per week
Virgil van Dijk is the most expensive player in Liverpool history, and also one of the most expensive defenders in the history of the sport.
While £75 million was a huge amount to pay for him in 2017, the investment has been worth it. He helped transform the Reds' defence, helping the club win the Premier League, Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup and the UEFA Super Cup.
Unsurprisingly, he is currently the best-paid player at the club. Van Dijk signed a contract extension at the start of the season that would keep him at the club till 2025.
The Dutchman is also one of the best-paid defenders in the world at the moment. However, if Mohamed Salah agrees a contract extension, Van Dijk may no longer be the best-paid player at Anfield.
