How much Sunderland AFC may have to pay Leicester City star Abdul Fatawu in wages | OneFootball

Abdul Fatawu may be on his way back to the Premier League next season with Sunderland

Abdul Fatawu is no doubt going to be of interest to sides in the Premier League this coming summer, regardless of which division Leicester City finds itself in.

The Foxes are currently embroiled in their second relegation battle in as many years. Gary Rowett's side sit inside the bottom three heading into the final month of the campaign, due in part to their six-point deduction imposed upon them for financial breaches, but also because they simply haven't hit expectations this year.

Despite this, Fatawu has been one of the bright sparks at the King Power Stadium this season, scoring nine and assisting seven and proving that he is, indeed, top-flight quality, after his sole campaign in the Premier League ended prematurely last year due to an ACL injury.

Football Insider has reported that Sunderland are looking to secure the services of the 22-year-old and that they could bring him in for £20 million, which is £10 million less than his current release clause.

How much Abdul Fatawu earns at Leicester City

It may come as a surprise, as the Foxes have one of the largest wage bills in the Championship, but Fatawu is not among the highest earners at the King Power Stadium, per Capology's estimates.

The Ghanaian is said to be earning just £10,000 per week at Leicester, which puts him right near the bottom of the squad list, and a whopping £80,000 per week behind Harry Winks, who is estimated to be the highest earner at the club currently.

That clearly doesn't reflect his contributions to the squad, but it may come as a benefit to Sunderland, who shouldn't have too many issues with matching, or even exceeding, those figures if a move to the Stadium of Light materialises.

Capology estimates that just four players who are currently at the club earn less than £10,000 per week, and the likes of Granit Xhaka and Nordi Mukiele, two players with bags of top-flight appearances, earn north of £100,000 per week.

While Fatawu won't be commanding that much if he did make a switch to Sunderland, the fact that the likes of Wilson Isidor, Dennis Cirkin, and Luke O'Nien are all said to be earning between £20,000 and £25,000 per week should mean that the 22-year-old should be in line to at least double his earnings in the North East.

Leicester City's Abdul Fatawu sale would incur a greater fee than others, even if his wages aren't as high

While there'll almost certainly be exits alongside Fatawu this summer at the King Power Stadium, there'll need to be more onus on chopping the wage bill down, if the 22-year-old's estimated wage compared to some of his teammates rings true.

What his teammates won't incur, though, is a transfer fee greater than the reported £20 million, as there clearly isn't anyone with the skillset plus the potential at this moment in time than the winger.

The Foxes will be hoping that they're still a Championship club heading into the summer, as that would allow them to still command a healthy eight-figure fee for the 22-year-old, which they likely wouldn't be able to do as a League One outfit. Either way, they'll be freeing up a small percentage of their wage bill, as and when he does leave.

Other players who are said to be among the highest earners at the club will still likely depart to free up some wage space, but in terms of bringing in money, Fatawu is Leicester's biggest asset at this moment in time.