5 highest paid Real Madrid players at the moment

Viewed by most as the titans of modern football, Real Madrid have both the prestige and the cash to lure in world class players from all over the globe. No amount, no matter how high, is necessarily a setback for Los Blancos.

The only main issue with this is that they're often exploited by agents of the players they're interested in.

Knowing that the club can pay extremely high wages puts the agent in a strong position over a team like Real Madrid, so it becomes a case of - "if you want him, then pay this much, or we'll look elsewhere".

On the flip side of this however, some of the top talent that walks through the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium doors deserve their huge salaries.

Let's take a look at the current list of highest paid players at Real Madrid.

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#5 Luka Modric - £180,000 per week

Luka Modric.

Luka Modric signed for Real Madrid in 2012 after being sold by Tottenham Hotspur for £27m. Since joining Los Blancos, he's been a regular feature in the squad, and has been an integral part of the team's tactics for several years now.

Modric played just as well during his four-year spell at Spurs, after having been signed from Dinamo Zagreb for £18m. Many fans were confused as to why the board had chosen to sell Modric, as he was as much of a key player to Spurs as he is to Madrid now.

It's likely that he was reeled in by Los Blancos simply due to their huge footballing stature - sometimes an offer from a team like that is too hard to resist. And the fact that Spurs were making a £9m profit in the process made it fair for all sides.

You can understand why Modric is ranked in the top five highest paid players at Madrid, but one can't help but feel he should be on more, given just how crucial he is to the team. His latest performances at this summer's World Cup will definitely attract interest from top clubs, so Madrid will need to secure their man by offering a new contract sooner rather than later.

All figures via sillyseason

#4 Toni Kroos - £200,000 per week

Toni Kroos

Toni Kroos seems to be at the epicentre of every team he joins, no matter how high in stature they might be. He was signed by Real Madrid from Bayern Munich in 2014 for just £22.5m! To give you some perspective on how great this deal was, Kroos is now valued at £72m according to Transfermarkt.

Kroos' performances at the World Cup this summer exemplified how great he is. Whilst Germany as a team played very poorly by failing to progress past the group stages, Kroos stood out as the only redeeming feature in that squad.

Both at Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, Kroos has performed to the highest standard. He's 28 years old at the moment, this is arguably when players hit their peak. He is crucial to any team that he finds himself in - his drive and industrialism will always mean that he's regarded as a top player.

£200,000 per week is no chump change, but it isn't enough to deter interest from other clubs like Manchester United, who are still determined to sign him before the window closes this summer.

Whether Kroos will leave or not is anyone's guess, but the Premier League would provide him with a fresh challenge should he join United.

#3 Marcelo - £200,000 per week

Marcelo

Marcelo seems like he has been at Real Madrid forever - and in a way he has. He was signed in 2007 from Fluminese for £5m and has been with Los Blancos since he was 18 years old.

Eleven years on and Marcelo is still a key player at Real Madrid. Despite being 30 years old at the moment, he's still valued at £54m.

It makes sense why he's the third highest paid player at Real Madrid. Based on purely on performances alone, he warrants the high salary. But the fact he has also remained loyal to the club throughout the years despite there being interest from top clubs around the world is what sets him apart from other players.

However, that loyalty looks in the balance at this moment in time, as Cristiano Ronaldo had recently declared that he would like to play alongside the Brazilian at Juventus next season. He even went as far as reportedly asking the club to sign Marcelo.

With Ronaldo being as important to Juventus as he invariably is, it's likely that Juventus could table an offer for Marcelo in the coming weeks, just to please their new star man ahead of the upcoming campaign.

Whether he will leave Real Madrid is doubtful, but Serie A does serve as a new challenge that might spark his interest.

#2 Sergio Ramos - £200,000 per week

Sergio Ramos

Sergio Ramos is another Real Madrid stalwart who like Marcelo was signed when he was just a teenager (19) in 2005. Madrid paid €27m for Ramos who was playing for Sevilla at the time, and he has remained at the club ever since.

Sergio Ramos is 32 years old at the moment, and still is at the top of his game. He has won the Champions League with Real Madrid many times, including at the end of last season.

To be the second highest paid player at the club is justified, given the sheer amount of effort Ramos has put in over the past 13 years he's been at Madrid.

Each summer Ramos is linked with a plethora of clubs, but ultimately he never budges. He is loyal like several other Madrid players. This is very rare in the modern game.

#1 Gareth Bale - £350,000 per week

Gareth Bale

Gareth Bale makes an appearance at number one spot, thanks to the recent departure of Cristiano Ronaldo.

Bale is now considered the best player at Real Madrid, and his salary reflects that. In fact, many would argue that he's one of the best in the world, just behind Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

He started his footballing career out at Southampton, where he rose through the ranks as a hot youth prospect, before being sold to Spurs in 2007 for £13m. He spent six years at Spurs, and it was here that he developed from being a standard left-back, to a speedy left-winger, before finally - an all-out striker.

His performances eventually caught the eye of Madrid, and in 2013 Bale was signed for an eye watering £85m. He's been at the top of his game in Spain ever since, winning four Champions League titles in the process.