20 Highest-Paid Strikers in the Premier League (2025)
The Premier League is one of the wealthiest divisions in world football, with some of the best players in world football plying their trade in England. In attracting elite talent, clubs must pay eye-watering sums of money, especially in the modern day.
It’s widely accepted that the hardest thing to do in the beautiful game is to put the ball in the back of the net consistently. This is why finding the right man to lead the line can be a difficult, and expensive, process. Strikers are often paid more money than defensive players, rightly or wrongly.
That said, below are the 20 Premier League strikers to take home the most money each week. Erling Haaland, Darwin Nunez and Gabriel Jesus all feature among the most handsomely compensated centre-forwards in the English top-flight.
10
Donyell Malen
£140,000 p/w
Donyell Malen
A recent inclusion to the list following his move to Aston Villa from Borussia Dortmund, Donyell Malen has jumped straight into the top 10 after being granted a weekly wage of £140,000 upon his arrival at Villa Park. The Dutchman will face some stiff competition for a spot in the starting XI, but the investment made in him is a sign of faith that he could be a star.
Malen comes not just with Champions League experience, but Champions League final experience, having been part of the Dortmund squad that fell just short last season. Villa will be looking to lean on that should they continue to progress in Europe’s elite competition.
9
Darwin Nunez
£140,000 p/w
Darwin Nunez is Liverpool’s most expensive signing of all time. It’s no surprise that the huge transfer fee paid to Benfica in 2022 comes with a hefty pay packet for the player. The Uruguayan forward has had an inconsistent stint during his first two years at Anfield but has yet to justify the amount of money his club have paid him.
The 25-year-old is among the Reds’ top earners but isn’t necessarily the favoured striker at the club following Jurgen Klopp’s departure in 2024. There’s still plenty of time for Nunez to prove his worth under Arne Slot’s guidance, but the signs so far are that the former Feyenoord boss prefers alternative options, as Nunez continues to divide opinion at Anfield.
8
Diogo Jota
£140,000 p/w
Nunez’s failure to impress his new boss has left Diogo Jota with free rein to go and become Liverpool’s main man down the middle. Whether or not the Portuguese has proven his fitness enough to hold down that spot in the long term is another question entirely, but he is still among the league’s highest earners.
Jota joined the Reds from Wolves back in 2020 and has played across the front three during his Anfield career. He appears to have settled as a number nine, though, with his finishing ability criminally underrated and among the best the club has ever seen, according to Jamie Carragher.
7
Jamie Vardy
£140,000 p/w
Jamie Vardy is back in the Premier League for one last dance. The man who made history as the focal point of Leicester City’s fairytale story in the 2015/16 season, it’s understandable why the Foxes’ iconic forward is among the highest-paid players in his position in the English top-flight.
Not only does he bring entertainment and chaos to the King Power Stadium, but Vardy provides the know-how to find the net in the Premier League that many of his current teammates lack. Despite his advancing age, defenders across the country will still be wary whenever coming up against the £140,000-per-week ace.
6
Timo Werner
£165,000 p/w
Timo Werner made the shock move to Tottenham in January 2024 on a loan deal from RB Leipzig despite previously representing London rivals Chelsea. The German speed demon is often used as a left-winger but is a central striker by trade.
It seems unlikely that the international will stay in north London beyond this term, as the same issues that plagued him in front of goal at Stamford Bridge have persisted and his performances have been called out by Ange Postecoglou. Given that scoring goals is meant to be his main priority as an attacker, his lack of them begs the question as to why he finds himself earning £165,000 p/w.
5
Christopher Nkunku
£195,000 p/w
The Premier League is yet to see the best of Christopher Nkunku. A lot was expected of the Frenchman upon his long-awaited arrival at Chelsea in the summer of 2023. Recurring injury problems limited him to just 14 appearances in all competitions during his debut term in west London.
Chelsea had to offer Nkunku a lucrative contract to secure his signature, as many top clubs across Europe were said to be keen on signing him from RB Leipzig. It’s again a new era at Stamford Bridge, with Enzo Maresca now in charge. The 27-year-old will have been hoping to force his way into his manager’s regular starting XI with plenty of competition for places in the Blues’ squad, but he still finds himself behind Nicolas Jackson in the pecking order.
4
Gabriel Jesus
£265,000 p/w
Gabriel Jesus is a four-time Premier League champion. With credentials like those, the Brazilian was always going to command a high salary when he made the switch from Manchester City to Arsenal. He’s been unable to find his clinical edge at the Emirates but was still one of the signings that played a huge part in closing the gap to his former employers.
Having to compete with an in-form Kai Havertz for a starting place alongside Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli seemed to bring the best out of the Brazilian during December 2024, but any momentum he may have been building was halted after he sustained an ACL injury in the FA Cup defeat to Manchester United the following month.
3
Kai Havertz
£280,000 p/w
He may be a divisive figure at the Emirates, but Kai Havertz remains the most available striker at Arsenal, even if he is not the most clinical of goalscorers. The German joined the club from Chelsea, for whom he scored the winning goal in the 2021 Champions League final. However, he has failed to prove himself consistent in front of goal for the Gunners.
Though he has been far more productive this season than in previous years, he has still faced criticism for his performances, with Arteta having to launch strong defences for the player on more than one occasion. With no new striker on the horizon in north London, Havertz’s spot looks safe for the time being, as does his eye-watering £280,000-per-week salary.
2
Omar Marmoush
£295,000 p/w
Welcome to Manchester, Omar Marmoush. With City stumbling throughout the 2024/25 season, Pep Guardiola was forced to urge the club’s owners to flex their financial muscle and bring in some new faces to freshen up the squad. The biggest of those signings is the Egyptian.
Before his move, Marmoush had found the net 20 times in 26 appearances for Frankfurt, which was enough for the defending champions to part with £59 million to secure his services. It is unlikely that he will take the place of Erling Haaland and will probably have to play out wide or as a back-up, but it is a signing of pure quality that will help the Sky Blues return to the top.
1
Erling Haaland
£525,000 p/w
Who can argue that one of the best strikers in world football is deserving of the highest wage when it comes to Premier League forwards? Erling Haaland has been excellent ever since he arrived from Borussia Dortmund in 2022. The Norway international is ice-cold in front of goal and has broken several records already.
The clinical centre-forward found the net 36 times in his debut season in the hardest league in the world, setting a new record for the most goals scored in a single Premier League campaign. While he hasn’t quite hit the same heights since, he is still a goal machine and has signed a monstrous new contract worth more than half a million pounds a week.
All salary information and statistics in this article are courtesy of Capology and Transfermarkt (Correct as of 24/01/2025).
