Jordan Henderson soon could join Messi & Ronaldo in football's 10 best-paid players | OneFootball

Jordan Henderson has reportedly agreed to make a switch to Al-Ettifaq in the Saudi Pro League, in a move that will see him become one of the best-paid players in world football.

The Saudi Arabian team - managed by Steven Gerrard - have stepped up their interest in the Liverpool captain in recent days and are reported to have verbally agreed a contract with Henderson.

The clubs are yet to agree a fee, but Jurgen Klopp is known to not stand in the way of a player that wishes to leave Anfield.

As with Philippe Coutinho and Sadio Mane, the German manager is likely to seek a resolution that results in Henderson getting the switch he wants.

The 33-year-old is in line to make a staggering £700,000-a-week if the move goes ahead as expected, according to the Daily Mail.

Below are the top 10 highest-earning players in the world, per the same source. It's worth bearing in mind that these figures are simply the players' basic salaries. Many will cash in even further over the course of a season through a variety of sponsorships, endorsements and other commercial opportunities.

10 Casemiro - £375,000 per week

The highest-paid Manchester United player is Brazilian midfielder, Casemiro,

The destroyer has been a vital part of the club's upturn in form since Erik ten Hag brought him in at the start of the 2022/23 season.

To go along with his £70 million transfer fee, he cost his new club a massive amount of money.

9 Kevin De Bruyne - around £425,000 per week

Kevin De Bruyne captains Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on a rainy match day in the Premier League.

There is only one player at the Etihad paid more every week than the Belgian star.

Injuries hampered the end of his 2022/23 season as he assisted Manchester City in winning a historic treble.

Playing for such a wealthy club, and his stature within the game makes it no shock he is one of the top earners in the division and the world.

At 32-years-old it is unlikely he will receive another contract as lucrative unless he leaves Europe as Henderson is set to do.

8 Marcelo Brozovic - £575,000 per week

You might not expect Brozovic to appear on this list, as the Croatian is not known as one of the top players in the world.

The defensive midfield player was very important for Inter Milan as they unexpectedly reached the Champions League final last season.

The 1-0 defeat to Man City proved to be his final game for the Italian giants, as he then went on to make a move to Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.

A mammoth offer was enough to lure him to the Middle East despite interest from European clubs.

7 Jordan Henderson - £700,000 per week

It is hard to decide what is more shocking, the fact that the England international has been offered such a huge salary or that there would still be six better-paid players.

Henderson is in line to earn almost £300,000 more than De Bruyne.

His proposed weekly wage would add up to an amount of around £36 million per year to re-unite with his former teammate, Gerrard.

6 Neymar - £725,000 per week

31-year-old attacker, Neymar, is one of the biggest superstars in the game, and it may even be a surprise that he is not slightly higher in this list.

There are conflicting reports on the Brazilian's wages, but French outlet L'Equipe report he earns around £725,000-a-week.

A move away from PSG has been speculated for this summer and with all the money in the game, the former Barcelona man could even increase his income.

5 Lionel Messi - around £900,000 per week

World Cup winner, Messi, has made his move out of Europe after a long and wonderful career on the continent.

At the last chance of international success on the biggest stage, Messi was instrumental in Argentina's fairytale success at the 2022 World Cup.

The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner will now earn almost seven figures per week - with only four players in the world still being paid more than the 36-year-old.

4 Erling Haaland - around £900,000 per week

Haaland moved to Man City in 2022, and hit the ground running in the Premier League on his way to breaking the goalscoring record in the division at his first attempt.

36 goals in only 35 appearances means the Norwegian striker averaged more than one goal per game over the course of a league season.

It is unlikely we will see anyone break his new record for the foreseeable future.

Being the main man in a treble-winning side means Haaland won every major prize available after just 12 months at the club.

3 Kylian Mbappe - £900,000 per week

Ever since the French star signed a new deal at PSG, there have been various reports on his wage that range from £900,000 per week to £1,100,000 per week.

Even taking the lower end of that estimate - as the Mail have done - Mbappe rakes in a mouthwatering amount of money on a weekly basis.

He was awarded the Golden Boot award in the 2022 World Cup and was also the French Champion's top scorer in Ligue 1.

He is reported to have alerted PSG of his intentions to leave the club on a free transfer in 12 months when his deal expires.

A huge pay increase and signing-on bonus will no doubt come his way, regardless of where he continues his career long-term.

2 Cristiano Ronaldo - £1,200,000 per week

Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates a goal with his arms stretched wide in the Saudi Pro League for his current club Al-Nassr

Ronaldo is not the highest-paid player in world football, a fact that might irk both his fans and the man himself.

Al-Nassr put together a massive offer for the Portuguese superstar after he left Man United in controversial fashion last year.

Until a teammate also joined the Saudi Pro League, Ronaldo was the highest earner in football.

Due to various other income streams, he is likely to still come out on top in financial terms, though.

1 Karim Benzema - £1,600,000 per week

Surpassing his former Real Madrid partner, Benzema's move to Al-Ittihad saw him become the highest earner in the world.

The Saudi side have also formally cut Benzema in on their commercial revenue, meaning that he'll bank a quite ridiculous £83.2m-per-season in the Gulf state.

Luring the current Ballon d'Or holder to the emerging league shocked Europe and will have many big clubs worrying about losing their key men to the financial powerhouse.

Benzema will line up alongside N'Golo Kante and Felipe Jota who have also joined his new club this summer - albeit on nowhere near the same money.