Ten high earners likely to be moved on at the end of the season.
Joleon Lescott – Manchester City
With the FIFA FairPlay ruling coming into effect City will need to distribute the wealth earned by their stars a little more evenly and that means sacrificing a number of their fringe players. The highest earning of these is the 31-year-old Lescott, who has failed to establish himself under Pellegrini and has been edging ever closer to the exit door at the Etihad as his contract winds down.
Soloman Kalou – Lille
The French football authorities are cracking down on the northern club at the moment and they are in desperate need of some new funds. With that in mind they may be forced to cash in on their star striker, not that he will be short of offers, but his loss could set them back in their ambitions.
Yoann Gourcuff – Lyon
In the absence of back to back league titles the club’s financial clout has dwindled significantly and they are now forced to live off the funds raised by cashing in on their top players. However, this won’t be a problem for Lyon as they have sustained themselves by doing just that even when they were successful. Losing Gourcuff now though, will most likely see them fall further behind Paris Saint Germain and Monaco.
Ricardo Montolivo – AC Milan
Milan are cutting back costs as they still house a number of high earners who are unjustly collecting massive wages. A poor finish in Serie A could see them miss out on even more cash and in cutting Montolivo loose they would save an estimated €3.5m a year. A number of clubs in England and Spain are harbouring hopes of snagging his signature, including Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid.
Andre-Pierre Gignac – Marseille
The financial crisis has hit Ligue 1 hard this season, and though Marseille have never been ones to shy away from tightening their belts they may be forced to let the France international go in an attempt to cut further costs. Gignac’s wages are reported to be around €3.9m, and there are plenty of offers on the table should he leave, but he has so far refused to be drawn in on the speculation.
Mirko Vucinic – Juventus
The Montenegrin has been deemed surplus to requirements in Turin this season ,and came close to joining Arsenal last summer and again during the January transfer window, only for the deal to fall through. Juve definitely aren’t struggling for cash, but his €3m-per-year wages are an expenditure that they could do without if he isn’t contributing to the title chase.
Rafael Van Der Vaart – Hamburg
Hamburg have somehow amassed some serious debt to the tune of €100m recently, which are going to force the club’s hand into making some drastic budget cuts. With the Dutch international earning around €3.5m per season, he has made himself a huge target for the chop.
Diego Milito – Inter Milan
The veteran Argentine is in the final season of his contract with the Serie A side and could be the first out the door as Erick Thohir looks to press ahead with his proposed rebuilding program. Earning €5m a year, he is the club’s highest earning player by a considerable distance, and at his age it’s unlikely that he’ll be offered fresh terms.
Dani Alves – Barcelona
The Brazilian was a staple of the first team until recently, but with academy prospect Martin Montoya hot on his heels the club may decide to cash in on him now before he advances beyond his 31 years. Earning €7m a season, there won’t be many sides willing to offer that kind of money.
Fernando Torres – Chelsea
With new strikers rumoured to be at the top of the agenda for Jose Mourinho this summer, the Spaniard may well see his tam ford Bridge nightmare come to an end as he has once again failed to deliver the goods. In the wake of the new arrivals flooding in he won’t be able to justify his £175,000 per week salary any longer, and a long awaited return to Spain has been mooted.