Paris Saint-Germain and Brazil star Neymar could see his salary slashed by 50 per cent as French football attempts to come to terms with the financial implications of the coronavirus pandemic, according to ESPN.
The French leagues and their respective clubs have been hit badly since the coronavirus forced games to be suspended indefinitely, with TV channels Canal+ and beIN Sports refusing to pay television rights money this month.
Bordeaux also saw their sponsor suspend their contract altogether, but things could be about to get even tougher for the top earners in the French league.
ESPN's report states that following discussions between France's National Union of Professional Football Players (UNFP) and the country's Ministry of Economy and Finance, an agreement was reached to recommend a temporary reduction of salaries to professional players and clubs.
As a result, players earning between £8,700 and £17,500-a-month (between 10,000 and 20,000 euros) after partial unemployment would take a 20 per cent cut, while those on sums between £17,500 and £43,900 (20,000-50,000 euros) would take a 30 per cent salary reduction.
However, those on salaries between £43,900 and £87,700 (50,000-100,000 euros) would suffer a 40 per cent hit and anyone earning more than that - which includes Neymar, the league's top earner - at 50 per cent.
Partial unemployment, which results in players earning roughly 70 per cent of their normal wage, has enabled state money to aid the most vulnerable clubs, but it is unlikely to hold further down the line with no return date set.
The report also said that their sources have confirmed that PSG are negotiating with their players to accept the temporary cuts, with many of Ligue 1's highest earners belonging to the current champions, as released by L'Equipe in February when they published their estimates of monthly salaries across the country's top tier.
Brazil star Neymar, who joined PSG from Barcelona for £198million back in August 2017, is by far the division's top earner – pocketing around £2.6million a month before tax. That equates to a weekly salary of around £600,000.
His closest rival is team-mate Kylian Mbappe, the 21-year-old French superstar who earns in the region of £375,000 a week. These figures do not include bonuses.
In fact, PSG's financial superiority is illustrated by the fact that the top 11 richest players in the division are all among Thomas Tuchel's squad.
Edinson Cavani, Marquinhos, Thiago Silva, Marco Verratti, Angel Di Maria and Keylor Navas are all estimated to earn at least £878,000 (one million euros) a month, with Monaco's Wissam Ben Yedder (£127,000 a week) the richest of the rest.
Former Premier League stars Ander Herrera (PSG, £127,000 a week), Cesc Fabregas (Monaco, £117,000 a week) Dimitri Payet (Marseille), Idrissa Gueye (PSG, both £98,000 a week) are all among the top 20 earners, alongside Monaco midfielder and Chelsea flop Tiemoue Bakayoko, who is pocketing around £88,000 a week while on loan with his former club.
Lyon's highest paid player, meanwhile, is ex-Manchester United winger Memphis Depay, who earns around £80,000 a week. At the other end of the scale, Toulouse's best paid player is Max-Alan Gradel (£37,000).
Tuchel is the highest paid coach in Ligue 1 on around £120,000 a week – £40,000 more than his closest rival, Marseille boss Andre Villas-Boas.
Source: m.allfootballapp.com