TIRANA, Sept. 7 – The eight Albanian players in the top Italian Serie A league will earn between €50,000 to €600,000 this season, La Gazzetta dello Sport, Italy’s largest sports paper has unveiled.
Albania’s right-back Elseid Hysaj who played a wonderful season with Italy’s 2015-2016 runners-up Napoli and currently earns €600,000 a season is the highest paid Albanian player in the Serie A. Hysaj, who also had a major contribution to Albania’s Euro 2016 debut and was the most sought-after Albanian player in the summer transfer window, is expected to get a pay rise and earn more than €1 million in his contract renewal.
Goalkeeper Etrit Berisha, who recently moved to Atalanta on loan from Lazio, is the second highest paid Albanian player with an annual salary of €500,000.
Ledian Memushaj, who captained Pescara to a Serie A promotion, earns €400,000. Rei Manaj, who joined Pescara this season on loan from Inter Milan will be paid €350,000. The 19-year forward is one of the most promising talents for the Albanian national team.
Right-back Leonardo Maloku who moved from Pescara U-19 will earn €50,000, becoming the third Albanian at newly promoted Pescara who got four points in their first two Serie A fixtures this season.
Arlind Ajeti who this season moved to Torino after his Frosinone team was demoted to Serie B will earn €300,000.
Twenty-one-year-old goalkeeper Thoma Strakosha who is following in his father’s footsteps, former Albanian international Foto Strakosha, has returned to his Serie A club Lazio after spending one season on loan to Salernintana in Serie B. He will earn €100,000 this season.
No data are made available for Frederik Veseli, the Albanian international defender, who joined Empoli from Switzerland’s Lugano this season but is having problems with his registration with the Italian football association.
The amount the Albanian players receive is quite small compared to what top players in one of the world’s toughest leagues receive. New Juventus signing Gonzalo Higuain will earn €7.5 million a season while Roma midfielder Daniele De Rossi will be paid €6.5 million.
Forward Shkelzen Gashi, who in early 2016 moved to U.S. Major League Soccer club Colorado Rapids as a designated player, is apparently Albania’s highest paid player with $1.66 million in annual salary.
