Every transfer Real Madrid make grabs the attention of the football world. That's arguably heightened when they sign a talented young player very few fans have ever seen play.
Martin Odegaard caught the eye most dramatically when signing for Los Blancos at 16 years old back in 2015. Arda Guler is a less extreme example given he's 18 and has really impressed for Fenerbahce's first team in the past season, but there is certainly a lot of intrigue around the attacking midfielder.
Guler arrives with a big reputation having been seriously pursued by Barcelona and AC Milan as well as Real Madrid, so here is a look at how his wages will compare with some of Real Madrid's big stars.
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What will Arda Guler earn at Real Madrid?
Real Madrid are putting quite a lot of faith in Guler from a financial perspective. He had a release clause of €17.5m but Real Madrid agreed to pay more than that with an initial fee of €20m.
On top of that, Real Madrid could pay up to €10m in various add-ons, while Fenerbahce also have a 20% sell-on clause as part of the deal.
Fenerbahce released a statement with the figures, saying: "The parties have agreed on the transfer of our professional football player Arda Guler to the Spanish Club Real Madrid CF in exchange for the termination of the player's contract with us for €20m.
"The solidarity contribution fees that will arise as per the FIFA instructions will be paid by Real Madrid CF. In addition to the transfer fee, a maximum bonus of €10m will be paid to our club by Real Madrid CF, depending on the performance of the player."
The other very expensive part of the transfer is that Guler's father, who acts as his agent, has demanded €15m in commission. That is the main reason Milan fell out of the running.
While those figures have been very accessible, there is an element of mystery about what Real Madrid are paying Guler. What is sure is that it will be much higher than the supposed €590,000 per year he was getting in Turkey.
Vinicius Junior's Real Madrid salary
Whatever Real Madrid have decided to pay Guler, it is unlikely to be too close to the salary of Vinicius Junior who is quickly becoming the most important player at the club, especially following the departure of Karim Benzema.
The Brazilian winger is reportedly set to pocket €12m per season from a new deal. His current contract will expire in the summer of 2024 and, given his ever-growing stature in the team, he has expected a pay increase to stay at the club. AS reported recently that Vinicius has signed a new contract until 2027, one that will see him earn €12m a year until 2027. His previous salary was €3.2m.
Vinicius joined the club in 2018 and his previous renewal saw his salary make a huge jump from €3.2m a year to €12m.
Thibaut Courtois' Real Madrid salary
That new deal for Vinicius Junior is set to take him far above the wage of the number one goalkeeper at Real Madrid. Thibaut Courtois currently earns a reported €7.2m per year on a deal that will run until the summer of 2026.
It is not known whether the Belgian intends to ask for more money so that he is more in line with some of the other important players at the club, or if he is content with that figure knowing Real Madrid could replace him in the near future.
Real Madrid player salaries
There are plenty of players earning some pretty serious cash at Real, with ageing midfielders among the major earners. Toni Kroos and Luka Modric have big contracts and their recent one-year extensions are believed to have been at the same wage as before.
Below are Real Madrid's current top earners, with Guler not expected to oust anyone from that list to begin with. Should he hit the ground running in Spain, you can expect his dad to be demanding some serious pay rises in the near future.
This article was originally published on 90min as Arda Guler wages compared to Vinicius Junior, Thibaut Courtois and Real Madrid squad.