Rangers are on the verge of pulling off a sensational signing as Aaron Ramsey prepares to sign on the dotted line.
The Juventus midfielder is in Glasgow and is believed to have passed a medical as he prepares to sign on loan, likely with an option to buy.
Fans are salivating at the prospect and it's no wonder, with the 31-year-old coming from one of the world's biggest clubs having previously represented Arsenal.
One question that has been raised though is the issue of his salary, with reports in Italy stating that Rangers could have to shoulder up to 30 per cent of the burden.
That has raised eyebrows following reports when Ramsey left Arsenal that he would be earning a mammoth £400,000 per week to become the best-paid British player of all time.
However, while the Welshman is extremely well paid ,it appears his actual salary is nowhere near that level.
Corriere della Sera e xplained when he signed for Juve in 2019 that the figures reported in England were inflated, with some possible confusion coming from the way salaries are reported – as well as it being in Arsenal's interest to brief about huge wages.
In the UK the gross wage is generally the fee given, while in Italy they talk about the net amount a player earns per year.
The newspaper explained that a salary of £400,000 gross per week would translate to around €12m (£10m) per season.
However, it was reported at the time of his signing that Ramsey's net pay was actually €7m per season - plus bonuses - which at current exchange rates is about £5.6m.
That has been repeatedly backed up by Italy's largest sports newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, who publish the salaries of every Serie A player and the wage bill of every top flight club before the start of each season.
They've also put Ramsey's salary at that €7m figure, with Juve paying him a gross €9.17m (£7.66m) per season.
That's because the club took advantage of a new tax system introduced in Italy in 2019 called the 'growth decree'.
Under those rules foreigners who come to the country after at least two years abroad, and commit to stay for at least two years, are exempt from being taxed on 50 per cent of their income.
The measures, which can be used for a maximum of five years, also cap the top rate of tax on the other half at 43 per cent.
That's why Paulo Dybala, who earns roughly the same net salary as Ramsey but came from Palermo, is paid €13.5m (£11.3m) gross according to the Gazzetta figures.
Therefore rather than £400,000 per week Ramsey is taking home around close to £150,000 before tax and more than £110,000 after.
A big packet for sure, but by those numbers even at a whopping 30 per cent Rangers would be on the hook for around £45,000 per week – a far more realistic sum, if still big, big money for a Scottish club.
