Leeds United had one of the biggest annual wage bills in the Championship but are now back in the Premier League. The Whites, after a busy summer transfer window, now have an annual payroll of £59,306,000, with the average player earning more than £2m per season at Elland Road.
So, we at Football FanCast have ranked every Leeds United player in the first-team squad in order from highest to lowest in terms of wages for the 2025/26 season, with the help of Capology.
Disclaimer – only the club and the players themselves truly know their wages, so take each of these figures as you will.
1
Dominic Calvert-Lewin
£100,000
£5,200,000
2
Jack Harrison
£90,000
£4,680,000
3
Sean Longstaff
£80,000
£4,160,000
4
Daniel James
£75,000
£3,900,000
5
Noah Okafor
£72,500
£3,770,000
=6
Pascal Struijk
£50,000
£2,600,000
=6
Lucas Perri
£50,000
£2,600,000
=7
Anton Stach
£45,000
£2,340,000
=7
Brenden Aaronson
£45,000
£2,340,000
=7
Jaka Bijol
£45,000
£2,340,000
=7
Sebastiaan Bornauw
£45,000
£2,340,000
=11
Ethan Ampadu
£40,000
£2,080,000
=11
Joe Rodon
£40,000
£2,080,000
=11
Wilfried Gnonto
£40,000
£2,080,000
=11
Joel Piroe
£40,000
£2,080,000
=15
Lukas Nmecha
£35,000
£1,820,000
=15
James Justin
£35,000
£1,820,000
=17
Karl Darlow
£30,000
£1,560,000
=17
Jayden Bogle
£30,000
£1,560,000
=17
Illan Meslier
£30,000
£1,560,000
=20
Ao Tanaka
£25,000
£1,300,000
=20
Sam Byram
£20,000
£1,040,000
22
Ilia Gruev
£15,000
£780,000
23
Alex Cairns
£10,000
£520,000
24
Sam Chambers
£8,000
£416,000
Here are the top 10 Leeds United earners… 10 Jaka Bijol £45,000 per week
Another new centre-back on £45,000 per week is Jaka Bijol, who cost more than Sebastiaan Bornauw. Leeds paid Serie A side Udinese an initial £15m for the Slovenia international.
Bijol is under contract at Elland Road until 2030.
9 Brenden Aaronson £45,000 per week
Attacking midfielder Brenden Aaronson is one of Leeds’ most expensive signings of all time, however, he’s had his struggles in Yorkshire.
After returning from a loan spell in Germany in 2024, the USA international helped Leeds win promotion back to the Premier League and his deal expires in 2027.
8 Anton Stach £45,000 per week
Central midfielder Anton Stach cost Leeds more than £17m from Hoffenheim following their return to the Premier League and signed a four-year contract with the Whites.
Already becoming a fan favourite, Stach is the last of four players to collect £2.34m a year.
7 Lucas Perri £50,000 per week
Following Illan Meslier’s poor performances in 2024/25, Leeds moved to sign a new first choice goalkeeper in Brazilian shot-stopper Lucas Perri.
Costing just under £14m from French side Lyon, Perri stands at 6ft 6 and is under contract until 2029.
6 Pascal Struijk £50,000 per week
Pascal Struijk has had his injury issues in recent seasons, but when fully fit, appears to be a part of Daniel Farke’s strongest XI.
The defender joined Leeds’ U21 ranks back in 2020 from Ajax and progressed into the first-team setup under Marcelo Bielsa. He’s made over 150 appearances for the Whites.
5 Noah Okafor £72,500 per week
Leeds’ most expensive signing of the summer was versatile forward Noah Okafor, who cost around £18m from AC Milan.
The Swiss attacker actually played against the Whites in pre-season weeks before moving to Elland Road and scored his first goal for the club in a 3-1 win at Wolves.
4 Daniel James £75,000 per week
Signed from rivals Manchester United in 2021, Daniel James struggled to get going at Elland Road and was even sent out on loan to Fulham a year later.
However, following Leeds’ relegation to the Championship, James has found a home in Yorkshire and starred in the Championship, resulting in a new deal being signed in 2025.
3 Sean Longstaff £80,000 per week
Sean Longstaff cost Leeds £12m from Newcastle over the summer and arrived with plenty of Premier League experience with the Magpies.
Earning more than £4m per season at Elland Road, Longstaff’s current Leeds contract expires in 2029.
2 Jack Harrison £90,000 per week
After two seasons on loan at Everton, Jack Harrison returned to Leeds in the summer and is once again a part of the first-team picture at Elland Road.
The winger, who made his move to Leeds permanent back in 2021 under Bielsa, is under contract with the Whites until 2028 after signing his latest deal in 2023.
1 Dominic Calvert-Lewin £100,000 per week
Top of the charts as Leeds’ top earner for 2025/26 is Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who arrived at Elland Road on a free transfer following his Everton exit.
The centre-forward snubbed an offer from a Champions League side in order to sign for Leeds, and with no fee involved, the Whites were able to offer him £5.2m per season until 2028.
