In the 1990s, Serie A was arguably the finest league on the planet. The European Cup/Champions League was won by Italian sides three times, while a swarm of global superstars made the move to Italy.
Since then, it hasn’t quite been the same, but might things be changing? The resurgence of Inter and Milan in recent years, plus the emergence of Napoli and Atalanta as teams who have won silverware recently suggests that the Italian top flight is in a solid position.
The league has also been able to attract genuine world-class players once again. As such, we at Football FanCast take a look at those who are earning the most in Serie A, with one team dominating the rankings…
Rank
Player
Club
Wage per week
Dušan Vlahović
Juventus
Láutaro Martínez
Inter
Paulo Dybala
AS Roma
Nicolo Barella
Inter
Hakan Calhanoglu
Inter
Alessandro Bastoni
Inter
Gleison Bremer
Juventus
Piotr Zieliński
Inter
Douglas Luiz
Juventus
Romelu Lukaku
Napoli
Marcus Thuram
Inter
Via Capology
11 Marcus Thuram (Inter) £122,000 per week
Marcus Thuram joined Inter in the summer of 2023 on a free transfer, despite interest from the Premier League.
The Frenchman had scored 16 goals for Borussia Mönchengladbach in the 2022/23 season and has continued this sort of form in Milan.
Since arriving at the club, he has netted 31 goals in 83 appearances, chipping in with 12 assists. Thuram helped the club win the 2023/24 Serie A title.
Son of former French international icon Lilian Thuram, the 27-year-old earns £122,000 per week at Inter.
10 Romelu Lukaku (Napoli) £122,000 per week
Romelu Lukaku’s nomadic career took him to another club last summer, securing a deal to play for Napoli throughout the 2024/25 campaign.
The 31-year-old is spearheading Napoli’s charge for a second league title in three seasons, scoring 10 Serie A goals at the time of writing.
The Belgian frontman is currently earning £122,000 per week, but he will be worth every penny if he can lead Antonio Conte’s team to what would be a fourth league crown in their history come May.
9 Douglas Luiz (Juventus) £133,000 per week
It’s fair to say that Douglas Luiz hasn’t enjoyed as productive a spell at Juventus as many anticipated. A wonderful season for Aston Villa last term, helping the club finish fourth in the Premier League, led Juventus to sign him for £42.35m.
The Brazilian has since played only 22 times for the club, with just six coming in the starting XI. He is earning £133,000 per week.
8 Piotr Zieliński (Inter) £133,000 per week
At Napoli, Piotr Zieliński was arguably one of their key players as they won the Serie A title in 2022/23, missing just a solitary game in the process.
His performances in Naples led to a move to Inter last summer and he is currently shining at the club, adding some solidity to their midfield.
He may be entering into the final few years of his career, but Zielinski is as good as ever. At Inter, he earns £133,000 per week.
7 Gleison Bremer (Juventus) £147,000 per week
Juventus have the second-best defensive record in Serie A at present, conceding just 25 goals across 28 matches. Defender Gleison Bremer is a big reason for this.
The Brazilian may earn £147,000 per week at the Old Lady, but considering he wins 63% of his defensive duels per game in the top flight, along with being dribbled past just 0.2 times per game, he is well worth the financial outlay as the club chase a first league title since 2020.
6 Alessandro Bastoni (Inter) £162,000 per week
Alessandro Bastoni has been a crucial member of Simone Inzaghi’s Inter side this season, proving his worth defensively and in an attacking sense.
Going forward, he has recorded four assists and created six big chances in the league this season, while succeeding with 58% of his dribbles.
At the heart of the defence, Bastoni wins 61% of his duels and makes 1.3 tackles per game. The Italian earns £162,000 per week.
5 Hakan Calhanoglu (Inter) £177,000 per week
Hakan Calhanoglu may be best known for his free-kick ability, but the Turkey international is an excellent midfielder who can operate in numerous roles.
Since joining Inter, he has registered 63 goal contributions – 36 goals and 27 assists – across 166 appearances, winning six major trophies in the process.
He is well worth his £177,000 weekly wage at the club, that’s for sure.
4 Nicolo Barella (Inter) £192,000 per week
Nicola Barella may just be Inter’s most consistent player, missing just 19 league matches across his first seasons with the club, winning two Serie A titles in the process.
Earning £192,000 per week, Barella is one of the highest-paid players in the Italian top flight, but if he can lead the club to another domestic crown, this massive wage will prove to be worthwhile.
3 Paulo Dybala (AS Roma) £206,000 per week
Paulo Dybala’s £206,000-per-week wage ranks him third on this list. His spell at Roma has rejuvenated a career which promised so much, yet failed to deliver during his time with Juventus.
64 goal contributions for the capital side since joining in 2022 is a more than respectable tally, and he will be looking to maintain this excellent form until the end of the current campaign.
2 Lautaro Martinez (Inter) £265,000 per week
Lautaro Martinez has arguably been one of Inter’s finest signings in the club’s recent history. The Argentinian has found the back of the net on 146 occasions since joining in 2018.
Earning £265,000 per week, Martinez’s goals have fired the club to two league titles during his spell in Italy, while they also reached the Champions League final in 2023 – a feat they can yet repeat this time around.