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The Premier League remains one of the wealthiest and best-paying leagues in world football. With so many superstar names and huge salaries involved, putting together a balanced XI is no easy task without leaving out several outstanding players.

Even with that in mind, players such as Omar Marmoush, Kai Havertz, Phil Foden and Alexander Isak miss out here, despite each earning around £300,000 per week.

This side is arranged in a 4-3-3 system, and every player selected has featured at least a handful of times in that position across the past few seasons.

In goal is the Italian stopper, signed by Manchester City last summer for only £25 million. He is the highest-paid goalkeeper in the Premier League, earning £115,000 per week more than the next man on the list, Alisson.

Still, for a player widely regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world, and at one of the richest clubs in world football, Gianluigi Donnarumma’s substantial salary is hardly a major concern for City.

Level with two other defenders for the joint-lowest wage in this team, Dominik Szoboszlai is deployed away from his natural role in order to fit his sizeable pay packet into the side.

Although midfield is where he is most at ease, Szoboszlai did make eight appearances at right-back for Liverpool last season, and his powerful right foot helps him adapt comfortably to the position.

While a specialist full-back such as Reece James might seem the more natural option there, his comparatively lower weekly wage of £200,000 is not enough to earn him a place in this team.

Another of the side’s lower earners, William Saliba takes up the right-sided centre-back role in this most expensive Premier League XI.

The 25-year-old is Arsenal’s fourth-highest paid player and has been central to their recent achievements, serving as a constant presence in defence for the Gunners over the last few years.

As the second-highest earner in the entire Premier League, Virgil van Dijk was always going to be included.

The Dutch centre-back has for years been among the very best defenders in the world, collecting multiple player-of-the-season honours across various competitions and also finishing runner-up in the 2019 Ballon d’Or voting.

On top of an exceptional individual and club career, he has firmly placed himself in the conversation for the Premier League’s greatest central defender, and for many supporters he is the first choice.

The final defender in the XI, and the last of the joint-lowest earners, is Josko Gvardiol at left-back.

Though Gvardiol is naturally more suited to the middle of defence, Pep Guardiola saw greater versatility in the assertive Croatian. After his 2023 move, Guardiola converted the then 21-year-old into a left-back, a role he has filled regularly alongside occasional appearances in central defence, until he suffered a broken leg last season.

A commanding presence in midfield, Ryan Gravenberch was outstanding during Liverpool’s 2024-25 title-winning campaign, eventually stepping into the void left by Fabinho the previous season.

Although Liverpool have clearly dropped off since lifting that title, Gravenberch remains an important player for the two-time Premier League champions.

Bruno Fernandes is more commonly used in a slightly advanced role, often as a number 10, but he also has enough experience playing in central midfield.

In this setup, he is tasked with helping build attacks and seeing more of the ball, both of which are vital to Manchester United when they move forward.

And there is no arguing with his quality. The Manchester United captain broke the record for most Premier League assists in a single season last year, registering 21 across the campaign.

On a staggering £300,000 a week, Jack Grealish is one of the more difficult names in this side to justify purely on footballing grounds.

Although he enjoyed success with Manchester City, especially during their Treble-winning season, he was later sent on loan to Everton, where injuries disrupted his campaign.

A player capable of operating both in midfield and in attack, Grealish will be aiming to force his way back into City’s plans in the season ahead.

Another major name in the XI, Bukayo Saka begins the front three.

The Arsenal academy product remains hugely popular at the Emirates, though by his own standards he did not have his best season last time out, scoring 11 goals for the Gunners in all competitions, his lowest return since 2020-21.

However, a strong end to the World Cup against France, along with a Premier League winner’s medal now in his collection, may provide the right winger with the belief he needs to rediscover top form ahead of the new season.

Marcus Rashford, meanwhile, has recently revived his career after enduring several very poor spells at Manchester United.

A decent loan spell at Barcelona was not enough to secure a return to the Spanish club, but it did help Rashford break back into the England squad this summer, where he produced two G+A in six appearances.

It is still unclear where the Manchester United forward will be playing next season, but he would not be a bad signing for any club if his wages could be brought down to a more manageable level.

That brings us to the highest-earning Premier League XI in full. If any club wanted to field this starting side for just one match, it would cost £3,370,000, a huge amount for what might well be the best team on the planet.

And up front, there was only ever going to be one name.

The Premier League’s top earner, and quite possibly its biggest star, Erling Haaland has scored goals for fun since arriving in England in 2022.

With 112 goals in 132 league appearances, Haaland is firmly on course to break several records if he remains at Manchester City until the end of his current contract.

And if that happens, it would be no surprise at all to see him add even more silverware to his collection.