Inter striker Romelu Lukaku is the highest net earner of any player in Serie A, though the club’s wage expenditure is only the fifth highest in the league in terms of gross amount.
This according to Italian football finance news outlet Calcio e Finanza, who report that the 29-year-old’s €8.5 million net per season wages put him ahead of Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba as the highest net earner, but that the Nerazzurri save on the gross amount compared to other high-earning players due to the Growth Decree.
Lukaku earns a net of €8.5 million per season, whereas Pogba earns €8 million net per season after his summer move to the Bianconeri on a free transfer from Manchester United.
Juventus trio Adrien Rabiot, Dusan Vlahovic, and Leandro Paredes each earn €7 million net per season, whilst all of Marcelo Brozovic and Lautaro Martinez of Inter an Juventus players Leonardo Bonucci, Alex Sandro, Wojcjech Szczesny, and Angel Di Maria all earn €6.5 million net per season.
In terms of the highest earners in the Italian top flight, the ten highest players all play for either Inter or Juventus.
In terms of gross expenditure, the Nerazzurri are able to apply the tax benefits of the growth decree to Lukaku’s wages, meaning that the gross amount is €11.135 million net per season.
This puts the Belgian behind Vlahovic whose gross earnings are €13 million per season, and all of Szczesny, Bonucci, and Brozovic who earn €12 million gross per season.