Top earners, new signings and rivals compared: AC Milan’s 2026-27 wage bill broken down
By: Oliver Fisher
With the summer window closed, AC Milan’s squad costs for 2026-27 are lock in at least until the winter, including the wage bill.
While when it comes to transfer business a lot of attention is paid to individual transfer fees and net spend, often the most solid indicator of the quality and depth of a squad is the total of the salaries being paid out.
Not on the podium
According to Calcio e Finanza‘s estimates, in the previous 2025-26 season, Milan’s net salaries amounted to approximately €55.7m and just less than €100m gross. In 2026-27, total net wages will rise to €64.8m, an increase of approximately €9.1m, or 16.3%.
In terms of gross cost, the total reaches €103.14m. Milan thus return above the €100m threshold and close in on Napoli, who are third in the Serie A table with approximately €109.2m.
The Rossoneri are fourth in the league when it comes to gross wage bill. City rivals and champions Inter have an estimated gross wage bill of €145.8m, then Juventus are right behind them with €145.5m.
There is quite a gap therefore between the top two, Napoli and Milan, who are the only four clubs in the league to have a gross salary total for the season that eclipses the €100m mark.
What about the others? Early Scudetto contenders Roma are fifth at €92.7m, quite far below the nine-figure threshold. Behind the Giallorossi, a significant gap opens up: Atalanta, in sixth, have an estimated gross wage bill of €73.8m.
As a comparison, Inter have five players who will receive more than Milan’s top earners: Lautaro (€9m net), Calhanoglu (€6.5m), Barella (€6.5m), Thuram (€6m) and Bastoni (€5.5m). Overall, Inter’s five highest-paid players earn €33.5m net, equal to just under 40% of the squad’s net wages.
There are nine Nerazzurri players with a net salary equal to or greater than €4m, while for the Diavolo it is six. What is also striking is that Di Gennaro is the only Inter player making under €1m. The rest – from Stankovic upwards – get at least €1.5m/yr.
AC Milan 2026-27: Highest and lowest earners
Milan’s new salary structure features three players tied for first place: Gonçalo Ramos, Mike Maignan and Mario Gila. The Portuguese striker, the French goalkeeper and the Spanish defender each earn an estimated net salary of €5m.
Behind them are Samuel Chukwueze, Christian Pulisic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek, all on around €4m net per season. There are therefore six Milan players with a net salary of €4m or more. Together, this group earns €27m net, equal to approximately 42% of the squad’s wages.
Adrien Rabiot, Luka Modrić , Fikayo Tomori and Alexis Saelemaekers follow the quartet with €3.5m. Considering the top ten players in the ranking, the total reaches €41m net, equal to over 63% of AC Milan’s total wages.
A fixed net salary of €3.5m net – excluding bonuses – has been adopted for Rabiot, despite indications in the media that he is on €5m. Subsequent in-depth analysis allowed the fixed portion to be brought back to €3.5m, with variable components that could see it rise.
The average salary of the squad – calculated on the 27 players considered part of the first-team squad – is equal to €2.4m net per season. This is largely due to the eight players that earn €1m or less, in some cases substantially less.
The full list and key considerations
Below are the estimated net salaries of AC Milan players for the 2026-27 season, excluding bonuses:
Gonçalo Ramos: €5m
Mike Maignan: €5m
Mario Gila: €5m
Samuel Chukwueze: €4m
Christian Pulisic: €4m
Ruben Loftus-Cheek: €4m
Adrien Rabiot: €3.5m
Luka Modrić: €3.5m
Fikayo Tomori: €3.5m
Alexis Saelemaekers: €3.5m
Diego Moreira: €3m
Ardon Jashari: €2.5m
Pervis Estupiñán: €2.5m
Matteo Gabbia: €2m
Yunus Musah: €2m
Omari Hutchinson: €1.8m
Strahinja Pavlović: €1.7m
Koni De Winter: €1.7m
Warren Bondo: €1.5m
Sankhoun Diawara: €1m
Francesco Camarda: €800k
Pietro Terracciano: €800k
Filippo Terracciano: €800k
Davide Bartesaghi: €600k
Alphadjo Cissé: €500k
Christian Comotto: €300k
Lorenzo Torriani: €300k
Instantly, there are some outliers in the list. The fact that rising stars such as Cisse and Bartesaghi – now first-team regulars – are on such a small amount is something that feels like it is destined to change in time.
Beyond Ramos and Gila, the new signings earn as follows: Diego Moreira €3m/yr, Omari Hutchinson €1.8m/yr (fully covered by Milan during his loan), and Sankhoun Diawara €1m/yr.
Strahinja Pavlovic is apparently being targeted for a renewal and so can expect a generous hike on his €1.8m, given the interest from the Premier League and the fact he is now a permanent starter.
One feels as though the re-introduction of Fikayo Tomori into the fold might be just as much about avoiding another Divock Origi situation (a high earner sat at home) as what he can offer on the field. With his deal expiring in one year, it remains to be seen how much appetite there is to renew it at €3.5m net.
Warren Bondo is another interesting case, as he receives around €1.5m net. This is not far off what Koni De Winter gets (€1.7m) and yet one is out of the plans while the other is the anchor of Ruben Amorim’s three-man defence.
This is year one of a squad reshaping under the new management and with a new head coach, so further big changes are expected in windows to come. Above all, a transition to focusing on high-cost, high-quality signings suggests a growth in the wage total is inevitable.
However, given that the self-declared vision of Milan under RedBird Capital is to mix those statement signings with youth, it will probably mean that the gap to Inter is not seriously eroded. Both they and Juventus have quite a few depth players on prime-years contracts who drag the average up.
That wage ceiling (per player) of €5m net also seems to remain for the Rossoneri. While waiting to see what the pitch tells us about the squad assembled, it does feel like the owners are content spending sustainably on salaries.
