Report: Bonucci, Higuain pocket €7.5M per year as highest Serie A earners

Milan - AC Milan's Leonardo Bonucci and former Juventus teammate Gonzalo Higuain are the top Serie A earners but their wages fall short of European stars Neymar and Lionel Messi, the Gazzetta dello Sport reported.

Italy defender Bonucci, 30, and Argentina striker Higuain, 29, both pocket an estimated €7.5 million annually, the Italian sports daily said.

Bonucci joined AC Milan from Juventus in July and his salary does not include bonuses which would boost his annual earnings to €10 million.

Brazil striker Neymar became the world's top-paid player with a salary of €30 million in a record deal with Qatar-owned Ligue 1 club PSG this summer. Barcelona's Lionel Messi is set to earn the same amount once his new deal with the Catalan giants is signed.

Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo, once the highest earner, is paid a reported €22 million after tax by European champions Real Madrid.

Juventus forward Paulo Dybala comes third on the Serie A list on €7 million, followed by teammate Douglas Costa and Milan goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, who now both earn €6 million.

Juventus boss Max Allegri is the highest earning Italian coach on €7 million euros - nearly double his nearest rival, Inter Milan's Luciano Spalletti (€4 million).

But Allegri comes just 10th among European coaches behind Manchester City's Pep Guardiola, whose whopping €18 million pay packet beats Manchester United's Jose Mourinho's €16 million.

Gazzetta estimated that the wage bill in the Italian top flight grew from €927 million to €955 million this season, with champions Juventus (€164 million) leading followed by Milan (€117 million), AS Roma (€91 million), Inter (€82 million), Napoli (€81 million), and Lazio (€62 million).

The bill for players and coaches now tops €1 billion.