Manchester United could become the first club to break the £300million barrier for wages when they release their accounts for the 2017-18 season, according to The Sun.
The Old Trafford outfit broke new ground last year when they became the first Premier League club, along with Manchester City, to spend £250m on wages. But United's investment has only gathered speed in the ensuing 12 months.
They made Alexis Sanchez the Premier League's best-paid player in January by handing him a contract worth £500,000 per week while Romelu Lukaku and Nemanja Matic were given lucrative deals when joining from Everton and Chelsea.
Wayne Rooney's departure to Everton last summer helped to save around £300,000 per week, but much of that was then taken up by the pay increases awarded to every senior player following their return to the Champions League.
A standard clause in all contracts sees players take a pay-cut if they fail to qualify for Europe's premiere competition. After gaining entry via the Europa League in 2017, the squad were automatically given a boost, which will add up to millions per year.
Those factors will serve to push Manchester United's annual wage bill to within touching distance of the £300m mark and should see them overtake rivals City to become the biggest paymasters in the division.
According to the latest accounts to 30 June 2017, City's annual wage bill sits at £264m with United close behind on £263m. Pep Guardiola's side are likely to see a significant increase as well with new figures accounting for last summer's arrivals: Kyle Walker, Ederson, Danilo, Benjamin Mendy, Bernardo Silva and January signing Aymeric Laportre.
Despite the increase in the wage bill, Manchester United should remain at a healthy 50 per cent wages-to-turnover ratio with their total revenue likely to go close to the £600million mark. They hit £581.2m for 2016-17, but this year's accounts will be boosted by their return to the Champions League.
That should be enough to keep them ahead of Real Madrid and Barcelona as the world's richest club. Real Madrid were close behind with an annual turnover of £580m and will once again be competitive after three successive Champions League wins.
