Neymar earns £600,000 per week

• PSG have 12 of the 13 best paid players in French top tier, thanks to Qatari money
• Neymar earns £2.7m a month before tax, with Cavani and Mbappe on £1.3m 
• Outside of PSG, Ligue 1 wages are dwarfed by the English Premier League

PSG's takeover by the mega-rich Qatar Sports Investments changed the competitive and financial face of European football - so it is no surprise they dominate the list of best-paid players in Ligue 1.

French newspaper L'Equipe have published a list of the top 30 best-paid players in the national top division, by monthly wage before tax.

Of these, 13 play in Paris, including 12 of the top 13, with Monaco forward Radamel Falcao - at No 9 on the list - the only interloper.

PSG dominate the list of the best paid players in Ligue 1, with Neymar clear at the top

Neymar earns over double the wage of strike partners Kylian Mbappe and Edinson Cavani

PSG have 12 of the 13 best paid players in the French top tier, thanks to their Qatari money

Even by the standards of the huge wages paid to modern top-level footballers, however, the monthly pay packet of Neymar is extraordinary.

The Brazilian forward joined PSG last summer from Barcelona for a world record transfer fee of £200million after the Ligue 1 side paid his buy-out clause - and they had to pay a pretty penny for his wages too.

Neymar is reportedly paid £2.7million every month - approximately £600,000 per week - which is more than double the next best-paid players in the list. 

Monaco striker Radamel Falcao is the only footballer to break the PSG dominated top 10

Those players are Neymar's strike partners, Edinson Cavani and Kylian Mbappe, who each earn £1.3million every month, or around £290,000 a week. 

Four PSG players are paid over £1m a month, the other being defender Thiago Silva, while Angel Di Maria and Marquinhos earn just shy of seven figures, when their wages are converted from Euros into British currency.

The figures contrast with the wages paid in the English Premier League - the top seven in Ligue 1 would also appear in the top 10 highest earners across the channel.

Ligue 1's 20th best paid player is Steve Mandanda - in England, 20th is Raheem Sterling

However the drop off after the massive wages of PSG is notable. The equal 20th best-paid player in Ligue 1 - including Crystal Palace flop Steve Mandanda - earn just shy of £70,000 per week, while the 20th best-paid player in England is Raheem Sterling, on £135,000 weekly.

Fans of English clubs will also note a few familiar names earning good money in France - former Newcastle forward Hatem Ben Arfa earns £444,000 per month (£98,000 per week) to sit in PSG's reserves.

Dimitri Payet, after leaving West Ham in acrimonious circumstances in January 2016, takes home the same pay packet as Ben Arfa, while former Manchester City and Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli is the sole Nice player in the top 30, on £400,000 per month (around £90,000 per week). 

PSG Neymar plays 'Heads up!' with former team-mate Lucas Moura

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Former Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli is the only Nice player to make the list

TOP 30 HIGHEST EARNERS IN LIGUE 1 BY MONTHLY WAGE (Credit: L'Equipe) 

Player	Club	Monthly Wage (£)
Neymar	PSG	2.7million
Edinson Cavani	PSG	1.3million
Kylian Mbappe	PSG	1.3million
Thiago Silva	PSG	1.2million
Angel Di Maria	PSG	995,000
Marquinhos	PSG	995,000
Thiago Motta	PSG	777,000
Javier Pastore	PSG	685,000
Radamel Falcao	Monaco	666,000
Dani Alves	PSG	620,000
Julian Draxler	PSG	533,000
Marco Verratti	PSG	533,000
Hatem Ben Arfa	PSG	444,000
Dimitri Payet	Marseille	444,000
Luiz Gustavo	Marseille	444,000
Mario Ballotelli	Nice	400,000
Florian Thauvin	Marseille	365,000
Steve Mandanda	Marseille	310,000
Joao Moutinho	Monaco	310,000
Mariano Diaz	Lyon	310,000
Memphis Depay	Lyon	310,000
Keita Balde	Monaco	300,000
Kostas Mitroglou	Marseille	293,000
Valere Germain	Marseille	266,000
Adil Rami	Marseille	266,000
Nabil Fekir	Lyon	266,000
Bertrand Traore	Lyon	266,000
Kamil Glik	Monaco	257,500
Stevan Jovetic	Monaco	250,000
Thomas Meunier	PSG	230,000

Manchester United pip Real Madrid to retain top spot in Deloitte's 'Money League' report after making £581m during the 2016-17 campaign

• Manchester United made a staggering £581million during the 2016-17 season
• The Old Trafford outfit pipped Real Madrid to the top spot by just £1.5million
• It is the 10th time that the Premier League side have topped the Deloitte list
• There was a record-breaking 10 Premier League teams in the top 20 spots 
•  

Manchester United have retained their position as world football's top earners, according to the latest annual 'Money League' report by accountancy firm Deloitte.

United made £581million during the 2016-17 season, pipping Real Madrid to the top spot by just £1.5million, the closest margin in the rich list's 21 years.

It is the 10th time the Old Trafford club have topped the Deloitte list, with their Europa League success being crucial to holding off Real, whose 12th Champions League win helped them swap places with Spanish rivals Barcelona.

Manchester United have pipped Real Madrid to top Deloitte's 'Money League' report

Premier League giants United have now topped the Deloitte list for the 10th time

Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich held onto fourth spot and Manchester City stayed in fifth place with revenues of £454million. Arsenal climbed to sixth, swapping places with Paris Saint-Germain, and Chelsea, Liverpool and Juventus keep their places to round out the top 10.

In a statement, Deloitte Sports Business Group partner Dan Jones said: 'United's ability to retain first position is all the more impressive against the backdrop of the weakened pound against the euro.

'With both Real Madrid and Barcelona forecasting further revenue growth in 2017-18, the battle at the top will likely come down to on-pitch performance again next year.

'With all three clubs through to the round of 16 of the Champions League, it may be as simple as the club that goes furthest in the competition will have the best chance of topping the Money League next year.'

The Old Trafford side's winning Europa League campaign was worth £39million

United pipped Madrid by just £1.5million, the closest margin in the rich list's 21 years

United's Europa League campaign was worth £39million, a testament to both the size of the British market for televised football and UEFA's efforts to raise the profile of the competition.

Unlike some studies of football's finances, Deloitte excludes revenues from player-trading but its numbers confirm several recent reports by other organisations, most notably last week's report on European club football by UEFA. It also underlines the growing financial clout of the Premier League.

For example, Spurs overhauled Borussia Dortmund to take 11th place, with Leicester up six places to 14th, West Ham up one to 17th and Southampton and Everton new entries in 18th and 20th respectively.

Both Leicester and Southampton were buoyed by their involvement in European competitions but the Premier League's record-breaking 10 teams in the top 20 is also a result of the improved domestic television deal that kicked in that season.

Tottenham and Leicester are just two of 10 Premier League clubs who made the top 20 spots

In fact, Premier League clubs nearly took half of the top 30 places recorded by Deloitte, with Crystal Palace, West Brom, Bournemouth and Stoke in 26th to 29th place - Bournemouth's revenue of £136.8million last season was £135.7million higher than their equivalent figure in the Money League.

Top 10 wage bills in European football

Top 10 wage bills in European football revealed as Barcelona are leapfrogged by PSG and Manchester United top the Premier League's salary charts

• Manchester City have risen up the charts rapidly under manager Pep Guardiola 
• But they are still behind rivals Manchester United in the Premier League chart
• The Premier League dominates the ranking - serial winners Juventus are 10th 
• Sportsmail has taken a look at the top ten wage bills across European football 

The release of Manchester City's annual accounts last week highlighted the extent to which Pep Guardiola has been backed as he looks to launch a new era at the Etihad Stadium. 

City, however, are not Europe or even England’s biggest spenders. 

Here, Sportsmail looks at the top wage bills across the continent and find a new club at the top of the pile.

1. Paris Saint-Germain - £279m (Top earner: Neymar, £537,000-per-week*)

We have a new leader. Following this summer’s transfer business – and the arrival of £33m-a-year Neymar – the Parisians have taken possession of the biggest wage bill in Europe, ahead of Barcelona. 

PSG have raised the bar, with the Brazilian taking home around £537,000-a-week. That works out at 88p per second. Nice work if you can get it.

Neymar's arrival has seen Paris Saint-Germain become the highest payers in Europe

2. Barcelona - £264m (Top earner: Lionel Messi, £500,000-per-week)

The giants of European football have a wage bill to match. However, the figures here have been calculated to reflect this summer’s loss of Neymar. 

That said, nobody believes the Catalan club will not make a statement in the forthcoming transfer window and may soon retake top spot from their French rivals.

Lionel Messi is Barcelona's top earner and expect more investment from them in January

3. Manchester United - £264m (Top earner: Paul Pogba, £290,000-per-week)

United’s figures reflect the substantial backing given to Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho after the short-lived David Moyes era as the club continues to try and recapture the glory days of Sir Alex Ferguson. 

Football is a complex game, and while injuries have impacted the side, it is hard to reconcile the at-times negative tactics of the current incumbent with this hefty wage bill.

Manchester United's huge wage bill suggests they should be playing more attacking football

4. Chelsea - £250m (Top earner: Eden Hazard, £200,000-per-week)

Chelsea’s figures are due out shortly and, as was the case with Barcelona, may well be headed south following pending transfer activity, with Diego Costa about to shifted from the tab.

That said, the arrivals of the likes of Alvaro Morata and Tiermoue Bakayoko will not have come cheap.

Chelsea's payments are likely to dip, but Eden Hazard is still on an impressive £200,000

5. Manchester City - £244m (Top earner: Sergio Aguero, £220,000-per-week)

The cost of supporting Pep Guardiola in the first part of his City project became clear earlier this month when the Premier League leaders announced their annual figures. Salaries at the Etihad Stadium rose by 25 per cent in the Catalan’s first year. 

While that does not include the arrivals of the likes of Benjamin Mendy, Danilo and Kyle Walker, it should be noted that the departures of big earners such as Samir Nasri, Joe Hart, Fernando and Wilfried Bony, are also not included and so this should be a relatively accurate sum.

Sergio Aguero is the top earner at a Manchester City side whose wage bill has increased

6. Real Madrid - £240m (Top earner: Cristiano Ronaldo, £365,000-per-week*)

These are testing times in the Spanish capital for Zinedine Zidane and Co. The departures of Alvaro Morata to Chelsea and Danilo to Manchester City, with no high-profile arrivals, has sent them down the pecking order.

And that is reflected in their struggles in La Liga. They are third and eight points behind rivals Barcelona.

Cristiano Ronaldo remains on Real Madrid's highest salary amid his own issues in front of goal

7. Bayern Munich - £235m (Top earner: Robert Lewandowski, £160,000-per-week) 

A summer of astute but costly acquisitions puts the Bavarians next on the list. The loan arrival of James Rodriguez from Real was notable.

Adding the likes of Corentin Tolisso, from Lyon, and Kingsley Coman, from Juventus, add to the sense that there is a desire to improve Champions League performance, something underlined by the departure of Carlo Ancelotti.

Robert Lewandowski is Bayern Munich's best paid player as they push for European success

8. Arsenal - £210m (Top earners: Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez, £150,000-per-week)

Arsenal announced their figures at the end of September, with a wage bill of about  £199m.

This will have risen slightly following this summer’s transfer business, with the addition of Alexandre Lacazette the highest-profile arrival, but their wage bill is still a long way short of clubs that the Gunners support see as key rivals.

Midfielder Mesut Ozil is one of two Arsenal players who are both on £150,000-per-week

The German's fellow contract rebel Alexis Sanchez also earns the same figure as Ozil

9. Liverpool - £210m (Top earner: Philippe Coutinho, £200,000-per-week)

A sign of how quickly things can change in the crazy world of English football comes with Liverpool’s drop down the list. Last year, their wage bill was bigger than that of Manchester City. 

However, a cautious period of activity has seen them be overtaken on the salary front and the departure of Philippe Coutinho, should it come to pass, will see costs drop again. Expect investment.

Philippe Coutinho is the best paid player at Liverpool but he may not be long for Anfield

10. Juventus - £150m (Top earner: Gonzalo Higuain, £130,000-per-week)

Another sign of the incredible sums floating around the Premier League comes with the arrival of Juventus in tenth place. 

The Italians dominate domestically and reached the Champions League final, but their wage bill is nowhere near that of some of England’s top clubs. Juve’s nearest rival? AC Milan on a distant £107m. 

*After tax

Juventus dominate Italian football but their wage bill does not come close to top English sides

Neymar's £198m move to Paris Saint-Germain has eclipsed the world transfer record

Neymar's £198m move to Paris Saint-Germain has eclipsed the world transfer record... here's how it has evolved over the past 20 years

• Neymar has joined Paris Saint-Germain in a world record £198million move 
• The move would almost double Paul Pogba's existing world transfer record
• Sportsmail runs down the evolution of the record over the past 20 years 

It looks like Neymar is no more, at Barcelona at least. 

The Brazilian has completed his move to French giants Paris  Saint-Germain for a world record transfer fee of £198million. He's also said to be earning more than £500,000-per-week.

The deal blows the previous record, Paul Pogba's £89million switch to Manchester United, out of the water by more than £100million.

Neymar is now the most expensive player in the history of football following his £196m move

MSN is no more - the successful trio of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez has split up

Given the size of the deal it's easy to forget how far the record has come since transfer fees became the norm; just 20 years ago the biggest fee ever paid was still below £20million. 

Sportsmail looks back at the last 10 times the transfer record has been broken. 

Neymar has joined his fellow Brazilian Dani Alves at the Ligue 1 side for a world record fee

 

August 9, 2016 - Paul Pogba (Juventus to Manchester United, £89m)

Having left United for nothing during the reign of Sir Alex Ferguson, the French midfielder returned to Old Trafford in a Stormzy of publicity as the grime star reintroduced him to Red Devils fans with a viral social media video. 

The overall price, with add-ons and agents' fees taken into account, will rise to £100m.

Pogba's arrival at Manchester United was marked by a viral social media video

September 1, 2013 - Gareth Bale (Tottenham to Real Madrid, £85m)

The Welshman agreed a £300,000-per-week deal to swap north London for the Spanish capital, saying it was 'the right time to say goodbye' to Spurs.

The transfer generated a £75m profit for Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy, who bought Bale for £10m six years previously.

Spendaholic Real president Florentino Perez poses with Gareth Bale after buying him for £85m

July 6, 2009 - Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United to Real Madrid, £80m)

It was the deal that shook football, raising the transfer record by almost 50 per cent in a single swoop.

Ronaldo was greeted at the Bernabeu by 80,000 delirious fans and quickly declared: 'This is a spectacular day'.

Cristiano Ronaldo cost Madrid £80m when he moved from Manchester United in 2009

June 9, 2009 - Kaka (AC Milan to Real Madrid, £56m)

It didn't last for long, but for a while the elegant Brazilian was the world's most expensive player. Kaka signed an £8m-a-year contract at Real, leaving Milan to lament their loss with a truly exceptional statement. 

'The loss technique, while serious, can be remedied. It will be very difficult to fill the void that will be left by Kaka, a shining example of professionalism, commitment and professionalism,' it read. 

'AC Milan, (according to) the wishes of the managers, players and supporters of the Rossoneri, offer him the most cordial and affectionate wishes for the continuation of his sporting career.' 

Kaka held the world record for less than a month after joining Real from AC Milan

July 10, 2001 - Zinedine Zidane (Juventus to Real Madrid, £45m)

FIFA had only just resolved to introduce new transfer rules which would have allowed Zidane to move for a free (what ever happened to them?) when the star man from France 98 and Euro 2000 relocated to Spain.

Zidane would collect £3.5m a year at Madrid. He said: 'A while back I said the amount of money was enormous and that I was not worth that much. 

'It is indeed a lot of money. I am fully aware of that and my thoughts on the matter have not changed. A new challenge is at hand. I was really in need of something different. Things came into focus today.'

Zinedine Zidane cost Real Madrid £45m when he moved from Juventus in the summer of 2001

July 24, 2000 - Luis Figo (Barcelona to Real Madrid, £37m)

Uh oh. Barca to Real. Luis Figo was one brave man. Florentino Perez built his presidential campaign on the promise to sign the Portuguese, going so far as to commit to paying for every Madrid fan's subscription if he failed to land his man.

So it was just as well he did. Though the whole process left Perez's Barcelona counterpart Joan Gaspart incredulous.

'I'll not forget this. Whoever is responsible for this will pay for it. We'll see how and when,' he said. We're still waiting.

Luis Figo caused controversy when he swapped Barcelona for fierce rivals Real

July 13, 2000 - Hernan Crespo (Parma to Lazio, £36m)

Another man who barely held the record long enough to take a picture with it, Argentinian striker Crespo appeared to have been the subject in the fastest-moving transfer of all time.

On the Tuesday, 24 hours before he signed, he told reporters: 'I am amazed at this news. I have not signed anything and have no idea at what stage the negotiations are.' 

Thanks for that, Hernan.

Hernan Crespo poses for the camera after undergoing his Lazio medical in 2000

June 8, 1999 - Christian Vieri (Lazio to Inter Milan, £28m)

Vieri made a happy habit of being incredibly expensive. The Italian striker's San Siro switch ensured he had three entries in the top-10 dearest transfers of all time (at the point of his departure from Lazio).

These were the days before the Euro, of course. In old money, Vieri set Inter back 80billion lire. Yikes.

Christian Vieri cost Inter Milan a whopping 80billion lire when he arrived from Lazio

August 27, 1998 - Denilson (Sao Paulo to Real Betis, £22m)

Hold up. Real Betis? £22million? What the?

Yep, it happened. Back in '98, Brazilian whizkid Denilson left his home country for the Seville on a quite ridiculous 11-YEAR contract. To make it all that bit more whacky, a £260m buyout clause was inserted into the deal.

By 2006, the forward was on trial at Portsmouth. Oof. 

Denilson signed an 11-year contract at Real Betis when he signed for the Sevilla club in 1998

June 20, 1997 - Ronaldo (Barcelona to Inter Milan, £19.5m)

After 47 goals in 49 games for Barca, the original Ronaldo fell out with the Catalans just as they were willing to tie him to a 10-year deal. 

In stepped Inter president Massimo Moratti. 'It was a whim of mine,' Moratti recalled recently. 'When you a buy a club you dream of something exceptional, even at the expense of perfect administration.' 

A £19.5m whim.  

Ronaldo joined Inter Milan in 1997 after falling out with former club Barcelona